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arXiv:1506.07713

Frequency conversion of structured light

Fabian Steinlechner, Nathaniel Hermosa, Valerio Pruneri, Juan P. Torres

Published Jun 25, 2015• 0 citations
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Abstract

We demonstrate the coherent frequency conversion of structured light, optical beams in which the phase varies in each point of the transverse plane, from the near infrared (803nm) to the visible (527nm). The frequency conversion process makes use of sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate (ppLN) crystal with the help of a 1540-nm Gaussian pump beam. We perform far-field intensity measurements of the frequency-converted field, and verify the sought-after transformation of the characteristic intensity and phase profiles for various input modes. The coherence of the frequency-conversion process is confirmed using a mode-projection technique with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. The presented results could be of great relevance to novel applications in high-resolution microscopy and quantum information processing.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1506.07713

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We demonstrate the coherent frequency conversion of structured light, optical beams in which the phase varies in each point of the transverse plane, from the near infrared (803nm) to the visible (527nm). The frequency conversion process makes use of sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate (ppLN) crystal with the help of a 1540-nm Gaussian pump beam. We perform far-field intensity measurements of the frequency-converted field, and verify the sought-after transformation of the characteristic intensity and phase profiles for various input modes. The coherence of the frequency-conversion process is confirmed using a mode-projection technique with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. The presented results could be of great relevance to novel applications in high-resolution microscopy and quantum information processing.
Coherent frequency conversion of structured light, i.e. the ability to manipulate the carrier frequency of a wave front without distorting its spatial phase and intensity profile, provides the opportunity for numerous novel applications in photonic technology and fundamental science. In particular, frequency conversion of spatial modes carrying orbital angular momentum can be exploited in sub-wavelength resolution nano-optics and coherent imaging at a wavelength different from that used to illuminate an object. Moreover, coherent frequency conversion will be crucial for interfacing information stored in the high-dimensional spatial structure of single and entangled photons with various constituents of quantum networks. In this work, we demonstrate frequency conversion of structured light from the near infrared (803 nm) to the visible (527 nm). The conversion scheme is based on sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal pumped with a 1540-nm Gaussian beam. We observe frequency-converted fields that exhibit a high degree of similarity with the input field and verify the coherence of the frequency-conversion process via mode projection measurements with a phase mask and a single-mode fiber. Our results demonstrate the suitability of exploiting the technique for applications in quantum information processing and coherent imaging.
We develop the theory of frequency up-conversion of an arbitrary spatially-broadband quantum state (quantum image), deriving the analytical solutions for the cases of plane-wave pump and short crystal with arbitrary pump. By using an example of the quantum image imposed by the orbital angular momentum of the pump beam in spontaneous parametric down-conversion, we show that 99%-fidelity up-conversion of quantum images from an infrared wavelength to the visible wavelength can be obtained in periodically-poled lithium-niobate crystals at reasonable pump intensities well below the crystal damage threshold.
We demonstrate the utility of frequency upconversion in a non-linear crystal for quantum information applications. By combining a bright “escort” beam with a signal photon inside of a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal, we are able to achieve near unit conversion efficiency. We use this conversion process to create high-efficiency infrared single-photon detectors by upconverting infrared photons to visible ones and using efficient silicon avalanche photo diodes to detect the upconverted photon. We have achieved a net system detection efficiency of 56%, far superior to previous methods for infrared photon detection. We also demonstrate the phase coherence of the upconversion process, which enables it to convert photonic qubits from one wavelength to another, potentially allowing quantum networks of disparate operating wavelengths to communicate efficiently. This quantum “transduction” feature is observed by upconverting photons passed between two unbalanced Michelson interferometers that create and measure time-bin qubits, similar to those used in many quantum cryptography systems, and verifying that the phase of the qubits is preserved. The Rabi oscillation-like behavior of upconversion is also demonstrated, allowing for the creation and manipulation of highly non-degenerate frequency qubits. These states may be used in conjunction with other degrees of freedom such as polarization, time-bin, or orbital angular momentum states to enlarge the usable single-photon Hilbert space and create a rich vocabulary for transmission of quantum information.
The quantum nature of light at the single photon level allows for unique applications that classical physics neither predicts nor describes. Most notably, appropriate conditions may cause the states of photons with indistinguishable properties to become entangled, enabling novel approaches to quantum computation, secure communications, and metrology. \n \nAny operational quantum information network transporting entangled-photon states must establish a high-fidelity link between its distant nodes despite the inherent fragility of entangled states. However, the lack of a universal operating wavelength for all optical devices makes this a substantial challenge. Telecommunication fibers, entangled photon pair sources, quantum optical memories, and quantum repeaters all function in disparate spectral windows dictated by the properties of the materials used to fabricate them. Quantum frequency conversion (QFC), the single-photon limit of nonlinear parametric sum and difference frequency generation in optics, offers a bridge between spectral regions with full preservation of quantum state character, including entanglement. \n \nPeriodically poled optical waveguides in ferroelectric crystals are versatile tools in nonlinear optics. Confining the nonlinear interaction to a waveguide greatly enhances its efficiency compared to bulk optics. Periodic poling, the process of periodically inverting the domains of a ferroelectric medium using a strong electric field, enables a variety of quasi-phase matching configurations to engineer a desired nonlinear interaction. \n \nThis work concentrates on the design, development, fabrication, and characterization of a titanium-diffused periodically poled lithium niobate (Ti:PPLN) waveguide device. This device is designed to execute single-step quantum frequency conversion from 369.5nm to 1550nm in order to facilitate a quantum state transfer between standard fiber telecommunication wavelengths and an atomic quantum memory system employing trapped ytterbium ions. \n \nThe creation of phase matching conditions for such an extreme distance in frequency demands precise control of high magnitude electric fields on the single-micron scale. As the first demonstration of its kind in Ti:PPLN, the development of these devices included novel improvements to existing fabrication methods, improving the state-of-the-art of precision, quality, and yield for poling of ferroelectric crystals.
We describe a method for efficiently and coherently converting photons from one wavelength to another through the process of nonlinear upconversion. By using an intense 1064 nm escort laser pulse and a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal, we demonstrate upconversion efficiency of 99% and coherence of 95% for 1550 to 631 nm light at the single-photon level, thereby qualifying it for use in manipulation of photonic qubits. We then show how to create photons in arbitrary superpositions of different energy states, thereby enlarging the accessible Hilbert space for quantum information applications.
We propose and demonstrate a high efficiency broadband near infrared single-photon upconversion and detection with a broadband pump laser based on sum frequency conversion in the PPLN crystal. By using a pump laser centered at 1040 nm with a spectral bandwidth of 10 nm, the signal single-photons centered at 1562 nm with a broadband bandwidth up to 7.2 nm are frequency-converted from the near infrared to the visible regime. A maximum conversion efficiency of 18.8% is achieved, while the background noise is measured to be only 1.2 × 10−3 counts/pulse. The corresponding spectral linewidth of the upconverted photons is 0.2 nm. This scheme of broadband infrared single-photon upconversion and detection provides potential solutions in infrared laser ranging, broadband infrared imaging and quantum key distribution.