We present a general, second quantization procedure for multitransverse-spatial-mode Gaussian-beam dynamics in nonlinear interactions. Previous treatments have focused on the spectral density and angular distribution of spatial modes. Here we go a layer deeper by investigating the complex transverse spatial mode in each angular spatial mode. Furthermore, to implement the theory, we simulate four-wave mixing and parametric down-conversion schemes, showing how one can elucidate and tailor the underlying multitransverse-spatial-mode structure along with its quantum properties.
We present a general, second quantization procedure for multitransverse-spatial-mode Gaussian-beam dynamics in nonlinear interactions. Previous treatments have focused on the spectral density and angular distribution of spatial modes. Here we go a layer deeper by investigating the complex transverse spatial mode in each angular spatial mode. Furthermore, to implement the theory, we simulate four-wave mixing and parametric down-conversion schemes, showing how one can elucidate and tailor the underlying multitransverse-spatial-mode structure along with its quantum properties.
Optics is arguably the most important branch of physics that has ever been studied. It is not only an essential ingredient of many other branches of physics that we study, it governs how we see, how we measure, and how we communicate in the modern world. And as the world continues to change, so do our tools and resources. In a relatively short amount of time, we have progressed from rudimentary tools that shape the world around us, to tools that harness the fundamental laws of nature. Unsurprisingly, the laws of nature governing optics remain paramount. This is because many of today's most advanced technologies rely on the classical and quantum properties of specially prepared beams of light. For example, there are quantum computing, quantum information, the quantum internet, quantum-enhanced metrology and quantum-enhanced imaging, to name a few. It is time to go a layer deeper in our understanding of these beams of light, particularly ones generated in nonlinear-optical interactions, since these are commonly the source of beams with quantum properties. The critical observation is that in each spatial mode (or spectral mode) of light exiting a nonlinear interaction, there are actually many transverse-spatial modes that have not been fully investigated. We use a Born-like approximation and a Green's function method to predict the classical mode structure of beams created during nonlinear interactions. Then, we extend the single-mode quantum theory by developing a second-quantization procedure of the classical modes. We derive an amplitude matrix, which governs the interaction between the modes and we calculate the evolution of the system. We show that our classical theory agrees nicely with experimental results, better than previous theories. Furthermore, we present simulations that predict ways to tailor the mode structure while adding, subtracting, and canceling orbital angular momentum transfer in nonlinear interactions. We use our quantum theory to predict the variance, covariance, the coupling of the modes, and how the noise suppression is distributed among the modes. In each case, we focus on exposing the underlying transverse spatial mode structure and suggest ways to tailor it depending on the intended use of the quantum resources. The simulations herein illustrate the utility of our theory, which is a convenient and powerful optimization tool. It can be used to show how the interplay of experimental beam parameters can influence the quantum properties of the beam(s) generated during the interaction. For example, the mode structure of the
Gaussian quantum states of light have many applications in quantum technologies. Two of the most widely used Gaussian quantum states of light are the single- and two-mode squeezed states. In this thesis, we propose the generation of a hybrid of these two states, which has both properties of single- and two-mode squeezed states. We then extend our method to the generation of multimode squeezed states which posses N-partite entanglement. Our states are defined using Gaussian frequency modes, and our method relies on a nonlinear-optical process called spontaneous parametric downconversion. We shape the joint spectral amplitude of the generated light in two ways, by spectrally engineering the light incident on the crystal and by the engineering of the nonlinear crystal to have desired properties. We first use our method to generate tuneable hybrid squeezed states and then extend it to multimode squeezed states. We then investigate design considerations for the nonlinear crystal and study the effect of fabrication errors. The tuneable hybrid and multimode squeezed states are localized in both frequency and time, making them ideal for a variety of quantum information protocols. We expect that the states will be used to generalize many quantum information protocols to their multimode counterparts, such as, multi-parameter quantum metrology, multi-channel quantum imaging and multi-partite teleportation. Our work will therefore broaden the applicability of optics for the development of quantum technologies.
Methods to decompose nonlinear optical transformation vary from setting to setting, leading to apparent differences in the treatments used to model photon pair sources, compared to those used to model degenerate down-conversion processes. The Bloch-Messiah reduction of Gaussian processes to single-mode squeezers and passive (linear) unitaries appears juxtaposed against the practicalities of the Schmidt-decomposition for photon pair sources into two-mode squeezers and passive unitaries. Here, we present a general framework which unifies these forms as well as elucidating more general structure in multimode Gaussian transformations. The decomposition is achieved by introducing additional constraints into the Bloch-Messiah reduction used to diagonalise Gaussian processes, these constraints motivated by physical constraints following from the inequivalence of different physical degrees of freedom in a system, ie. the temporal-spectral degrees of freedom vs different spatial modes in a transformation. The result is the emergence of the two-mode squeezing picture from the reduction, as well as the potential to generalise these constraints to accommodate spectral imperfections in a source generating 3-mode continuous variable GHZ-like states. Furthermore, we consider the practical scenario in which a transformation aims to generate a multiphoton entangled state, whereby spatial modes provide desirable degrees of freedom, whilst undesired spectral mode structure contributes noise, and show that this spectral impurity can be efficiently modeled by finding an optimal low dimensional bases for its simulation.
Non-Gaussian quantum states of light are important resources for implementing quantum information tasks, ranging from fault-tolerant optical quantum information processing to long distance quantum communication. These states can be generated by applying non-Gaussian operations, such as photon addition and subtraction, to an input Gaussian quantum state. Also, the use of Gaussian operations (like homodyne measurement) allows the transformation of non-Gaussian input quantum states while maintaining their non-Gaussianity. It has been shown that in such context, iterative tailoring of arbitrary quantum states is possible, by cascading elementary operation blocks. This invitably comes at the cost of increasing the protocol complexity. Spectral modes, on the other hand, can be used to handily carry multiple quantum states in a single spatial mode. Moreover, multimode states populating such modes are readily available in commonly exploited processes such as spontaneous parametric down conversion.In this work, we propose a protocol to generate non-Gaussian quantum states using spectral multiplexing of input states and Gaussian operations. We give the analytical expression of the output non-Gaussian state as a function of the number of input state, the Gaussian operation and the properties of spectral modes carrying the input quantum states. Taking as an example the cat breeding operation, we show that with a single mixing and measurement operation, we can obtain an amplified output cat state comparable to the one obtained using iterative breeding scheme with multiple mixing operations and measurements with the same number of input states. We show also that the generation of approximated GKP states is possible with this protocol. We believe that the proposed protocol will have a major impact on the field of non-Gaussian quantum states generation, and can be used to extend the study beyond the cases considered in our work.
In this work we present a series of results on four-wave mixing (FWM) processes induced by structured light in atomic media. We start with a theoretical study focusing on a cascade FWM process in rubidium vapor, generating a blue light field at 420 nm. In this setting, we show that in the extended-medium regime the Hermite-Gaussian basis presents a unique property of optical structure transfer. We then exploit this result to show that, by carefully tailoring the structure of the pump beams, one can obtain desired spatial modes with cylindrical and elliptical symmetries with high fidelity at the blue light output. Following that, we consider an experimental configuration where two degenerate FWM signals are generated in different directions of space by the same pump fields. In this setup, we present results in heated rubidium vapor evidencing the simultaneous conservation of orbital angular momentum (OAM) in the two FWM processes. We show that the two-channel setting allows to encode the OAM content of the input beams onto the OAM carried by the two FWM signals. Next, we explore the transverse mode dynamics in the context of optical modes contained in the so-called orbital angular momentum Poincaré sphere (PS). Defined in analogy with a general polarization state, this family of modes is parametrized in terms of polar and azimuthal angles. We show that the two FWM signals can also be described as belonging to Poincaré spheres, and that the angles on the output PS are related to those on the input PS by well-defined symmetries. The predicted FWM intensity profiles, as well as the consequences of the symmetry properties, are in good agreement with our experimental results. We also explore interesting scenarios, such as combinations of different PS modes and the fulfillment of one of the symmetry relations in each sphere independently, and restrictions that arise in the extended-medium regime. In the last part, we study the correlations between the light fields participating in the two-channel FWM configuration. Following our recent work on cold atoms, we investigate the correlations originating from the conversion of phase-noise to amplitude-noise as a result of the light-atom interaction, and discuss our attempts to discriminate transverse spatial dependencies on these correlations. Finally, we outline the quantum theory of FWM, exploring the multi-spatial-mode nature of the generated light state and the associated spatial correlations.