Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1802.07208 · Physical Review A

Experimental single-photon pulse characterization by electro-optic shearing interferometry

Alex O. C. Davis, Valérian Thiel, Michał Karpiński, Brian J. Smith

Published Aug 21, 2018• 19 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The ability to characterize the complete quantum state of light is essential for both fundamental and applied science. For single photons the quantum state is provided by the mode that it occupies. The spectral temporal mode structure of light has recently emerged as an essential means for quantum information science. Here we experimentally demonstrate a self-referencing technique to completely determine the pulse-mode structure of single photons by means of spectral shearing interferometry. We detail the calibration and resolution of the measurement and discuss challenges and critical requirements for future advances of this method.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.98.023840

Related papers

Two-Photon Joint Spectral Wave Function Measurement via Electro-Optic Spectral Shearing Interferometry

Alex O. C. Davis, Valérian Thiel, Brian J. Smith

We present a technique to completely characterize the joint spectral-temporal wave function of a broadband photon pair at 830 nm center wavelength using spectral-shearing interferometry. Our fully self-referencing method applies spectral shear using electro-optic modulation.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2017•0 citations

Single-Photon Temporal Wave Function Measurement via Electro-Optic Spectral Shearing Interferometry

Alex O. C. Davis, Michał Karpiński, Brian J. Smith

We present a method to completely characterize the temporal wave function of heralded single photons using spectral shearing interferometry. Frequency shear is applied by electro-optic modulation and spectrally-resolved detection is performed by frequency-to-time spectrometry.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2016•2 citations

Measuring the Single-Photon Temporal-Spectral Wave Function

Alex O. C. Davis, Valérian Thiel, Michał Karpiński +1 more

Temporal-spectral modes of light provide a fundamental window into the nature of quantum systems and offer a robust means for information encoding. Methods to precisely characterize the temporal-spectral state of light at the single-photon level thus play a central role in understanding single-photon sources and their applications in emerging optical quantum technologies. Here we demonstrate an optical reference-free method, which melds techniques from ultrafast metrology and single-photon spectral detection, to characterize the pulse-mode structure of heralded single photons.

arXiv:1709.05248•Physical Review Letters•Aug 21, 2018•60 citations

Variable electro-optic shearing interferometry for ultrafast single-photon-level pulse characterization

Stanisław Kurzyna, Marcin Jastrzębski, Nicolas Fabre +3 more

Despite the multitude of available methods, the characterization of ultrafast pulses remains a challenging endeavor, especially at the single-photon level. We introduce a pulse characterization scheme that maps the magnitude of its short-time Fourier transform. Contrary to many well-known solutions it does not require nonlinear effects and is therefore suitable for single-photon-level measurements. Our method is based on introducing a series of controlled time and frequency shifts, where the latter is performed via an electro-optic modulator allowing a fully-electronic experimental control. We characterized the full spectral and temporal width of a classical and single-photon-level pulse and successfully tested the applicability of the reconstruction algorithm of the spectral phase and amplitude. The method can be extended by implementing a phase-sensitive measurement and is naturally well-suited to partially-incoherent light.

arXiv:2207.14049•Optics Express•Oct 3, 2022•11 citations

Single-photon characterization by two-photon spectral interferometry

Valérian Thiel, Alex O. C. Davis, Ke Sun +3 more

Single-photon sources are a fundamental resource in quantum optics and quantum information science. Photons with differing spectral and temporal shapes do not interfere well and inhibit the performance of quantum applications such as linear optics quantum computing, boson sampling, and quantum networks. Indistinguishability and purity of photons emitted from different sources are crucial properties for many quantum applications. The ability to determine the state of single-photon sources therefore provides a means to assess their quality, compare different sources, and provide feedback for source tuning. Here, we propose and demonstrate a single-configuration experimental method enabling complete characterization of the spectral-temporal state of a pulsed single-photon source having both pure and mixed states. The method involves interference of the unknown single-photon source with a reference at a balanced beam splitter followed by frequency-resolved coincidence detection at the outputs. Fourier analysis of the joint-spectral two-photon interference pattern reveals the density matrix of the single-photon source in the frequency basis. We present an experimental realization of this method for pure and mixed state pulsed single-photon sources.

arXiv:1909.04294•Optics Express•Jun 5, 2020•22 citations

Spectral Shearing of Quantum Light Pulses by Electro-Optic Phase Modulation

Laura Jayne Wright, Michał Karpiński, Christoph Söller +1 more

Frequency conversion of nonclassical light enables robust encoding of quantum information based upon spectral multiplexing that is particularly well-suited to integrated-optics platforms. Here we present an intrinsically deterministic linear-optics approach to spectral shearing of quantum light pulses and show it preserves the wave-packet coherence and quantum nature of light. The technique is based upon an electro-optic Doppler shift to implement frequency shear of heralded single-photon wave packets by ±200 GHz, which can be scaled to an arbitrary shift. These results demonstrate a reconfigurable method to controlling the spectral-temporal mode structure of quantum light that could achieve unitary operation.

arXiv:1605.00640•Physical Review Letters•Jan 9, 2017•94 citations
The ability to characterize the complete quantum state of light is essential for both fundamental and applied science. For single photons the quantum state is provided by the mode that it occupies. The spectral temporal mode structure of light has recently emerged as an essential means for quantum information science. Here we experimentally demonstrate a self-referencing technique to completely determine the pulse-mode structure of single photons by means of spectral shearing interferometry. We detail the calibration and resolution of the measurement and discuss challenges and critical requirements for future advances of this method.
Temporal-spectral modes of light provide a fundamental window into the nature of quantum systems and offer a robust means for information encoding. Methods to precisely characterize the temporal-spectral state of light at the single-photon level thus play a central role in understanding single-photon sources and their applications in emerging optical quantum technologies. Here we demonstrate an optical reference-free method, which melds techniques from ultrafast metrology and single-photon spectral detection, to characterize the pulse-mode structure of heralded single photons.
Despite the multitude of available methods, the characterization of ultrafast pulses remains a challenging endeavor, especially at the single-photon level. We introduce a pulse characterization scheme that maps the magnitude of its short-time Fourier transform. Contrary to many well-known solutions it does not require nonlinear effects and is therefore suitable for single-photon-level measurements. Our method is based on introducing a series of controlled time and frequency shifts, where the latter is performed via an electro-optic modulator allowing a fully-electronic experimental control. We characterized the full spectral and temporal width of a classical and single-photon-level pulse and successfully tested the applicability of the reconstruction algorithm of the spectral phase and amplitude. The method can be extended by implementing a phase-sensitive measurement and is naturally well-suited to partially-incoherent light.
Single-photon sources are a fundamental resource in quantum optics and quantum information science. Photons with differing spectral and temporal shapes do not interfere well and inhibit the performance of quantum applications such as linear optics quantum computing, boson sampling, and quantum networks. Indistinguishability and purity of photons emitted from different sources are crucial properties for many quantum applications. The ability to determine the state of single-photon sources therefore provides a means to assess their quality, compare different sources, and provide feedback for source tuning. Here, we propose and demonstrate a single-configuration experimental method enabling complete characterization of the spectral-temporal state of a pulsed single-photon source having both pure and mixed states. The method involves interference of the unknown single-photon source with a reference at a balanced beam splitter followed by frequency-resolved coincidence detection at the outputs. Fourier analysis of the joint-spectral two-photon interference pattern reveals the density matrix of the single-photon source in the frequency basis. We present an experimental realization of this method for pure and mixed state pulsed single-photon sources.
Frequency conversion of nonclassical light enables robust encoding of quantum information based upon spectral multiplexing that is particularly well-suited to integrated-optics platforms. Here we present an intrinsically deterministic linear-optics approach to spectral shearing of quantum light pulses and show it preserves the wave-packet coherence and quantum nature of light. The technique is based upon an electro-optic Doppler shift to implement frequency shear of heralded single-photon wave packets by ±200 GHz, which can be scaled to an arbitrary shift. These results demonstrate a reconfigurable method to controlling the spectral-temporal mode structure of quantum light that could achieve unitary operation.