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arXiv:1412.4611 · Physical Review A

Transformation of a single-photon field into bunches of pulses

R. N. Shakhmuratov, Farit G. Vagizov, V. A. Antonov, Yevgeny V. Radeonychev, Marlan O. Scully, Olga A. Kocharovskaya

Published Aug 19, 2015• 39 citations
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Abstract

We propose a method to transform a single-photon field into bunches of pulses with controllable timing and number of pulses in a bunch. The method is based on transmission of a photon through an optically thick single-line absorber vibrated with a frequency appreciably exceeding the width of the absorption line. The narrow spectrum of the incoming photon is ``seen'' by the vibrated absorber as a comb of equidistant spectral components separated by the vibration frequency. Tuning the absorber in resonance with $m\mathrm{th}$ spectral component transforms the output radiation into bunches of pulses with $m$ pulses in each bunch. We provide a simple analytical solution clearly describing this effect and experimentally demonstrate the proposed technique with a single 14.4-keV photon and an ensemble of vibrated $^{57}\mathrm{Fe}$ nuclei. This method opens an alternate way to the production of time-bin qubits.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.92.023836

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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Oct 29, 2010•3 citations
We propose a method to transform a single-photon field into bunches of pulses with controllable timing and number of pulses in a bunch. The method is based on transmission of a photon through an optically thick single-line absorber vibrated with a frequency appreciably exceeding the width of the absorption line. The narrow spectrum of the incoming photon is ``seen'' by the vibrated absorber as a comb of equidistant spectral components separated by the vibration frequency. Tuning the absorber in resonance with mthm\mathrm{th}mth spectral component transforms the output radiation into bunches of pulses with mmm pulses in each bunch. We provide a simple analytical solution clearly describing this effect and experimentally demonstrate the proposed technique with a single 14.4-keV photon and an ensemble of vibrated 57Fe^{57}\mathrm{Fe}57Fe nuclei. This method opens an alternate way to the production of time-bin qubits.
A technique to transform the waveform of a 14.4 keV photon (time dependence of the photon detection probability or, equivalently, the intensity of the single-photon wave packet) into a regular sequence of short, nearly bandwidth-limited pulses with a controlled number of pulses is proposed. It is based on coherent forward scattering of single X-ray photons from a synchrotron Mössbauer source (SMS) in an optically thick, vibrating, recoilless 57Fe resonant absorber. The possibility of compressing the waveform of an SMS photon into a single short bell-shaped pulse is predicted. The experiment is proposed for compressing a 100 ns duration 14.4 keV single-photon wave packet produced by SMS at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) into a single bell-shaped pulse of less than 20 ns duration and more than twice the peak intensity. Such single-photon coherent pulses are promising for applications in the fast-developing field of X-ray quantum optics, including possible implementation of quantum memory.
The resonant filtering method transforming the frequency-modulated radiation field into a train of short pulses is proposed to be applied in the optical domain. Effective frequency modulation can be achieved by using an electro-optic modulator. Due to frequency modulation, a narrow-spectrum cw radiation field is seen by the resonant filter as a comb of equidistant spectral components separated by the modulation frequency. Tuning a narrow-bandwidth filter in resonance with the nthn\mathrm{th}nth spectral component of the comb transforms the radiation field into bunches of pulses, with nnn pulses in each bunch. The transformation is explained by the interference of the coherently scattered resonant component of the field with the whole comb. Constructive interference results in the formation of pulses, while destructive interference is seen as dark windows between pulses. It is indicated that the optimal thickness of the resonant filter is several orders of magnitude smaller than the necessary thickness of the dispersive filters used before in the optical domain to produce short pulses from the frequency-modulated field.
Single photons provide a natural platform for quantum communication and quantum networking, as they can be entangled in many degrees of freedom and maintain coherence over long-distance links. However, while their minimal interactions with the environment isolate them from detrimental noise, it can make them difficult to measure and manipulate. In particular, manipulation on the ultrafast timescale is necessary to fully exploit the energy-time (or spectral) photonic degree of freedom. Full control over the spectral properties of single photons is key to many quantum technologies and opens the door to natural high-dimensional quantum encodings. \n \nIn this thesis, we theoretically and experimentally examine the use of nonlinear optical processes mediated by strong laser pulses as a method to control the spectral properties of ultrafast single photons. By mixing single-photon pulses with strong escort pulses that have been shaped through dispersion in a nonlinear crystal, the shape of the escort is imprinted on the photon, resulting in a custom-tailored upconverted pulse. We theoretically examine this process for quadratic spectral phases and show that it has the potential to be simultaneously effective and efficient for the customization of single-photon spectral waveforms, and can be performed in an entanglement-conserving manner. \n \nWe then experimentally demonstrate the range of this technique through three applications. First, we show that sum-frequency generation with shaped pulses can be used to coherently measure time-bin encoded photons with bin separations on the order of picoseconds, well below the timing resolution of our detectors. Secondly, we show that this technique can be adapted to convert a train of pulses to a frequency comb, which can be read out in a straightforward manner using diffraction-based spectrometry. We also show here that this process can be performed in a polarization-maintaining fashion, and demonstrate that entanglement with a partner photon is conserved with high fidelity. Finally, we show that this process can be viewed as a time lens, which modulates a temporal waveform in an analogous fashion to a lens focusing a beam of light. We apply the time lens to a photon from an energy-time entangled pair, and show negative magnification of the joint spectrum through a reversal of the spectral correlations. Such processes could find application in quantum state engineering and high-speed single-photon measurement.
We report a method for coherent control of γ-photons, enabling the shaping of γ-ray intensity in nearly arbitrary waveforms. Different intensity waveforms are created by adjusting the motion profile of a resonant absorber (an ensemble of Mössbauer nuclei) and tuning the energy of the incident radiation. A crucial aspect of this method is the use of a low fundamental frequency of vibrations, which broadens the possibilities for γ-ray control. The results of numerical simulations are experimentally validated by generating single and double γ-pulses and inducing short-term absorption. For this, a resonant absorber containing 57Fe nuclei was vibrated with different motion profiles composed of 12 harmonics with a fundamental frequency of 1 MHz. The proposed technique represents an advancement in the manipulation of γ-rays, and potentially x rays, paving the way for the performance of unique types of γ-ray or x-ray quantum experiments and the development of tools such as adjustable table-top γ-pulse sources or γ-ray or x-ray delays and gates. Moreover, inverse application of the method enables investigation of motion at the picometer scale.
Abstract The transformation of exponentially decaying waveform (the time dependence of detection probability) of a Mössbauer γ -ray photon into a regular sequence of short nearly bandwidth-limited pulses in a vibrating recoilless resonant absorber is studied. The case of dual-tone vibration at the fundamental frequency and its second harmonic under experimentally feasible conditions is considered. We show that this technique allows one to shorten pulses and increase the ratio of pulse separation to pulse length as well as to enlarge pulse amplitude compared to the pulses produced in harmonically vibrating absorber. The obtained results pave the way to the development of the time-resolved Mössbauer γ -ray spectroscopy and manipulation of quantum information in hard x-ray/ γ -ray range.
A new method of preparing a single photon in temporally delocalized entangled modes is proposed and analyzed. We show that in a medium of four-level atoms with tripod-level configuration a strong parametric interaction between two one-photon pulses emerges, if the medium was initially prepared in a coherent superposition of the two ground states, while a strong classical field drives the neighbor transition from the third ground state. The analytical solution of Maxwell equations reveals that under the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), the quantum fields propagate with significantly small absorption and with different group velocities that leads to their temporal split into well-separated pulses, the amplitudes of which are well controlled by the driving field. The proposed scheme can serve as a robust source of narrow-band one-photon qubits with an entanglement between two temporal modes, not sensitive to losses in atmosphere and in telecommunication waveguides. We show also that in our scheme a controllable degree of temporal entanglement can be achieved.