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:1811.02939 · Physical Review A

Astigmatic tomography of orbital-angular-momentum superpositions

B. Pinheiro da Silva, D. S. Tasca, Ernesto F. Galvão, Antonio Zelaquett Khoury

Published Apr 16, 2019• 16 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We use astigmatic transformations to characterize two-dimensional superpositions of orbital-angular-momentum states in laser beams. We propose two methods for doing this, both relying only on astigmatic transformations, viewed as rotations on the Poincar\'e sphere, followed by imaging. These methods can be used as a tomographic tool for communication protocols based on optical vortices.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.99.043820

Related papers

Informationally complete orbital-angular-momentum tomography with intensity measurements

M. Gil de Oliveira, André L. S. Santos, Patrick Lima +4 more

In this work we study the tomography of the spatial structure of light. We develop a simple technique that allows one to perform the tomography over the space of fixed order modes. The technique is based on two spatially resolved intensity measurements, the second of which is performed after the light field has undergone an astigmatic transformation implemented by a tilted lens. We demonstrate that this method is informationally complete within the considered subspaces, which is experimentally verified both in the intense and the photocount regime. We also study the effect of obstructions in our ability to reconstruct the states. The work here presented is expected to help the development of characterization techniques in the field of structured light and in its application for both classical and quantum information protocols.

arXiv:2404.05616•Physical Review Applied•Jul 15, 2025•3 citations

Efficient full state tomography of the orbital angular momentum states of light using Helicity sorter

Joel M. Sunil, Goyal, Sandeep K.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a promising degree of freedom for quantum communication and quantum computation. However, efficient methods to transform and measure OAM modes are still not available readily. Here, we propose a method for full quantum state tomography for arbitrary OAM states of light. The key component in our scheme is the helicity sorter, a device that can sort OAM modes of a light beam based on their Helicity. We present two setups to implement the Helicity sorted, one requires $\mathcal{O}(N)$ number of optical elements for $2^N$ OAM modes, and the other uses spatial light modulators and is independent of the number of OAM modes. Ours is the first method to provide the efficient and scalable full quantum state tomography of the OAM modes and can be extremely important for quantum communication and quantum computation.

arXiv:2112.06277•Dec 12, 2021•0 citations

Wigner representation and geometric transformations of optical orbital angular momentum spatial modes

Gabriel F. Calvo

An exact Wigner representation of optical spatial modes carrying orbital angular momentum is found in closed form by exploiting the underlying SU(2) Lie-group algebra of their associated Poincaré sphere. Orthogonality relations and observables of these states are obtained within the phase space picture. Development of geometric phases on mode transformations is also elucidated.

Optics Letters•May 15, 2005•64 citations

Quantum state tomography of orbital angular momentum photonic qubits via a projection-based technique

A. Nicolas, Lucile Veissier, E. Giacobino +2 more

While measuring the orbital angular momentum state of bright light beams can be performed using imaging techniques, a full characterization at the single-photon level is challenging. For applications to quantum optics and quantum information science, such characterization is an essential capability. Here, we present a setup to perform the quantum state tomography of photonic qubits encoded in this degree of freedom. The method is based on a projective technique using spatial mode projection via fork holograms and single-mode fibers inserted into an interferometer. The alignment and calibration of the device is detailed as well as the measurement sequence to reconstruct the associated density matrix. Possible extensions to higher-dimensional spaces are discussed.

arXiv:1410.3105•New Journal of Physics•Mar 27, 2015•39 citations

OAM tomography with Heisenberg–Weyl observables

Alexandra Maria Pălici, Tudor-Alexandru Isdrailă, Stefan Ataman +1 more

Abstract Photons carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) are excellent qudits and are widely used in several applications, such as long distance quantum communication, d -dimensional teleportation and high-resolution imaging and metrology. All these protocols rely on quantum tomography to characterise the OAM state, which currently requires complex measurements involving spatial light modulators and mode filters. To simplify the measurement and characterisation of OAM states, here we apply a recent tomography protocol [Asadian et al , Phys. Rev. A 94 010301 (2016)]. Our scheme for OAM tomography in d dimensions requires only a set of measurements on a path qubit, i.e., a two-dimensional system. This replaces the current complexity of OAM measurements by the ability to perform generalized Pauli operators X d , Z d on OAM states. Our scheme can be adapted in principle to other degrees of freedom, thus opening the way for more complex qudit tomography.

arXiv:2003.08668•Quantum Science and Technology•Jun 18, 2020•10 citations

Efficient phase measurement for orbital angular momentum comb through Poincaré-sphere-like representation

Zi-Mo Cheng, Shiyue Jia, Hao Sheng +5 more

Photons with a spiral phase will carry orbital angular momentum (OAM), which can serve as a valuable resource for constructing high-dimensional Hilbert spaces due to its orthogonality and unbounded dimensionality. However, the fast measurement of high-dimensional OAM spectra remains a challenge. While intensity detection is relatively straightforward, full characterization requires phase retrieval. Although quantum state tomography allows full reconstruction, it demands a number of measurements scaling quadratically with the d2 of dimension (d), leading to a “curse of dimensionality” as the dimension d increases. Thus, there is an urgent need for efficient and simple methods for extracting phase information from high-dimensional OAM spectra. Here, we propose a generalized Poincaré sphere model with analog Stokes-like parameters, enabling full phase measurement of a d-dimensional OAM spectrum using only 4d measurements, significantly reducing the data acquisition requirement. We experimentally validated the method by performing intensity and phase measurements on 8-, 16-, and 32-dimensional OAM comb spectra. The results show excellent agreement with theoretical predictions, with measured fidelities ranging from 0.9829 to 0.9965. This approach facilitates an efficient characterization of high-dimensional OAM spectra and contributes to advancing their practical applications.

APL Photonics•Feb 1, 2026•1 citation
We use astigmatic transformations to characterize two-dimensional superpositions of orbital-angular-momentum states in laser beams. We propose two methods for doing this, both relying only on astigmatic transformations, viewed as rotations on the Poincar'e sphere, followed by imaging. These methods can be used as a tomographic tool for communication protocols based on optical vortices.
In this work we study the tomography of the spatial structure of light. We develop a simple technique that allows one to perform the tomography over the space of fixed order modes. The technique is based on two spatially resolved intensity measurements, the second of which is performed after the light field has undergone an astigmatic transformation implemented by a tilted lens. We demonstrate that this method is informationally complete within the considered subspaces, which is experimentally verified both in the intense and the photocount regime. We also study the effect of obstructions in our ability to reconstruct the states. The work here presented is expected to help the development of characterization techniques in the field of structured light and in its application for both classical and quantum information protocols.
Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light is a promising degree of freedom for quantum communication and quantum computation. However, efficient methods to transform and measure OAM modes are still not available readily. Here, we propose a method for full quantum state tomography for arbitrary OAM states of light. The key component in our scheme is the helicity sorter, a device that can sort OAM modes of a light beam based on their Helicity. We present two setups to implement the Helicity sorted, one requires O(N)\mathcal{O}(N)O(N) number of optical elements for 2N2^N2N OAM modes, and the other uses spatial light modulators and is independent of the number of OAM modes. Ours is the first method to provide the efficient and scalable full quantum state tomography of the OAM modes and can be extremely important for quantum communication and quantum computation.
While measuring the orbital angular momentum state of bright light beams can be performed using imaging techniques, a full characterization at the single-photon level is challenging. For applications to quantum optics and quantum information science, such characterization is an essential capability. Here, we present a setup to perform the quantum state tomography of photonic qubits encoded in this degree of freedom. The method is based on a projective technique using spatial mode projection via fork holograms and single-mode fibers inserted into an interferometer. The alignment and calibration of the device is detailed as well as the measurement sequence to reconstruct the associated density matrix. Possible extensions to higher-dimensional spaces are discussed.
Abstract Photons carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) are excellent qudits and are widely used in several applications, such as long distance quantum communication, d -dimensional teleportation and high-resolution imaging and metrology. All these protocols rely on quantum tomography to characterise the OAM state, which currently requires complex measurements involving spatial light modulators and mode filters. To simplify the measurement and characterisation of OAM states, here we apply a recent tomography protocol [Asadian et al , Phys. Rev. A 94 010301 (2016)]. Our scheme for OAM tomography in d dimensions requires only a set of measurements on a path qubit, i.e., a two-dimensional system. This replaces the current complexity of OAM measurements by the ability to perform generalized Pauli operators X d , Z d on OAM states. Our scheme can be adapted in principle to other degrees of freedom, thus opening the way for more complex qudit tomography.
Photons with a spiral phase will carry orbital angular momentum (OAM), which can serve as a valuable resource for constructing high-dimensional Hilbert spaces due to its orthogonality and unbounded dimensionality. However, the fast measurement of high-dimensional OAM spectra remains a challenge. While intensity detection is relatively straightforward, full characterization requires phase retrieval. Although quantum state tomography allows full reconstruction, it demands a number of measurements scaling quadratically with the d2 of dimension (d), leading to a “curse of dimensionality” as the dimension d increases. Thus, there is an urgent need for efficient and simple methods for extracting phase information from high-dimensional OAM spectra. Here, we propose a generalized Poincaré sphere model with analog Stokes-like parameters, enabling full phase measurement of a d-dimensional OAM spectrum using only 4d measurements, significantly reducing the data acquisition requirement. We experimentally validated the method by performing intensity and phase measurements on 8-, 16-, and 32-dimensional OAM comb spectra. The results show excellent agreement with theoretical predictions, with measured fidelities ranging from 0.9829 to 0.9965. This approach facilitates an efficient characterization of high-dimensional OAM spectra and contributes to advancing their practical applications.