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arXiv:2609.35208

Generating Vector-Vortex $γ$ Photons by Nonlinear Compton Scattering

Yong-Zheng Ren, Mamutjan Ababekri, Jun-Lin Zhou, Feng Wan, Qian Zhao, Zhong-Peng Li, Kun Xue, Ya-Qing Huang, Zhao-Hui Chen, Zhong-Feng Xu, Jian-Xing Li

physics.opticshep-phquant-phSubmitted Sep 28, 2026• Announced Sep 29, 2026
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Vector-vortex photons, characterized by a nonseparable coupling between polarization and orbital angular momentum (OAM), offer opportunities for optical manipulation, quantum communication, nuclear photonics, etc. However, their generation in the $γ$-ray regime remains challenging. Here, we put forward a novel method to generate vector-vortex $γ$ photons via nonlinear Compton scattering in elliptically polarized laser pulses. We reveal that tailoring laser ellipticity directs the multiphoton absorption to coherently populate OAM modes with opposite winding numbers, $\pm \ell$, tied to orthogonal circular polarizations, producing nonseparable spin-OAM photon states. For a linearly polarized laser of moderate intensity (dimensionless amplitude $a_0 \sim 1$), the mode-pair concurrence--a 0-to-1 measure of spin-OAM entanglement--reaches unity for MeV $γ$ photons, realizing maximally nonseparable radial- or azimuthal-type vector-vortex states. The laser amplitude further controls the accessible OAM spectrum. Our method offers a route to MeV vector-vortex photons, opening a new avenue for nuclear-scale structured photonics and high-energy quantum information.

Comments
8 pages, 5 figures

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Scientific Reports•Mar 16, 2021•34 citations
Generating Vector-Vortex γγγ Photons by Nonlinear Compton Scattering
Vector-vortex photons, characterized by a nonseparable coupling between polarization and orbital angular momentum (OAM), offer opportunities for optical manipulation, quantum communication, nuclear photonics, etc. However, their generation in the γγγ-ray regime remains challenging. Here, we put forward a novel method to generate vector-vortex γγγ photons via nonlinear Compton scattering in elliptically polarized laser pulses. We reveal that tailoring laser ellipticity directs the multiphoton absorption to coherently populate OAM modes with opposite winding numbers, ±ℓ\pm \ell±ℓ, tied to orthogonal circular polarizations, producing nonseparable spin-OAM photon states. For a linearly polarized laser of moderate intensity (dimensionless amplitude a0∼1a_0 \sim 1a0​∼1), the mode-pair concurrence--a 0-to-1 measure of spin-OAM entanglement--reaches unity for MeV γγγ photons, realizing maximally nonseparable radial- or azimuthal-type vector-vortex states. The laser amplitude further controls the accessible OAM spectrum. Our method offers a route to MeV vector-vortex photons, opening a new avenue for nuclear-scale structured photonics and high-energy quantum information.
Manipulation of Superposed Vortex States of γγγ Photon via Nonlinear Compton Scattering
Vortex γγγ photons in superposition states have important applications in photonuclear, high-energy, and strong-field physics. However, their controlled generation in the γγγ-ray regime remains a great challenge. Here, we put forward a novel method for the generation of vortex γγγ photon in superposition states, with controllable orbital angular momentum (OAM) separation Δℓ′Δ\ell^\primeΔℓ′ and modal weights, via nonlinear Compton scattering driven by multifrequency circularly polarized laser fields. We develop a strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED) framework to reveal the underlying mechanism and calculate the radiation probabilities. In our method, the superposition arises from interference between energy-degenerate multiphoton pathways carrying distinct OAM. For two-frequency fields, the OAM separation follows Δℓ′=ν∓1Δ\ell'=ν\mp1Δℓ′=ν∓1 (upper/lower sign for equal/opposite helicities), and modal weights are tunable by laser intensities, with ννν the frequency ratio. Vortex γγγ photons in controllable superposition states from our method have significant applications in strong-field QED and nuclear photonics.
We investigate the propagation of an optical vector vortex weakly interacting with a coherently prepared atomic medium (phaseonium) in a three-level ΛΛΛ configuration. The vector beam consists of vortex pulse pairs with right- and left-circular polarizations, corresponding to opposite spin angular momentum (SAM), and carrying opposite orbital angular momentum (OAM) charges ±l\pm l±l. We show that during the propagation of the vortex pairs, analytically obtained in the linear regime, the medium inherits the topology of the vortex pair, mapping the OAM onto a spatially structured atomic coherence. This mapping produces 2∣l∣−2|l|-2∣l∣−fold azimuthal transparency structures that reshape the beam intensity from a ring into a petal-like pattern. The OAM-structured atomic coherence induces a corresponding optical anisotropy within the medium, which feeds back into the propagating vector beam, resulting in optical spin-orbit coupling manifested as SAM exchange, rotation, and evolution of polarization textures. Depending on the initial ground-state population of the phaseonium, the polarization state evolves between left-circular, linear, and right-circular polarizations.
We investigate the propagation of optical vector vortices of slow light in a coherently prepared four-level tripod atomic system. The vector vortex consists of superposed pulse pairs with opposite circular polarizations and orbital angular momentum (OAM) charges ±l\pm l±l, weakly interacting with an atomic medium initially prepared in a coherent superposition of two ground states. A third unoccupied state is coupled to a stronger control laser without OAM, creating a phase-dependent configuration. In the linear regime, the vortex OAM is mapped onto the medium, producing symmetrical azimuthally structured absorption patterns, with losses significantly reduced by the control field. For small detunings, complementary spatially dependent amplification and absorption occur for the two circular polarization components. This OAM-structured coherence induces a dynamical anisotropy, affecting both the intensity and polarization of the slow-light vortex. Polarization states evolve periodically between left-circular, linear, and right-circular polarizations during propagation. Once the beam reaches a stationary regime, the ring-shaped intensity transforms into a petal-like structure, and the final polarization states stabilize according to the initial superposition. The rate of polarization transitions is tunable via the control field strength, demonstrating flexible control over slow-light vector vortex dynamics.
Abstract Violating a nonlocality inequality enables the most powerful remote quantum information tasks and fundamental tests of quantum physics. Loophole-free photonic verification of nonlocality has been achieved with polarization-entangled photon pairs, but not with states entangled in other degrees of freedom. Here we demonstrate completion of the quantum steering nonlocality task, with the detection loophole closed, when entanglement is distributed by transmitting a photon in an optical vector vortex state, formed by optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) and polarization. As well as opening up a high-efficiency encoding beyond polarization, the critically important demonstration of vector vortex steering opens the door to new free-space and satellite-based secure quantum communication devices and device-independent protocols.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: High-dimensional quantum entanglement offers an increase in information capacity per photon; a highly desirable property for quantum information processes such as quantum communication, computation and teleportation. As the orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes of light span an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space, they have become frontrunners in achieving entanglement in higher dimensions. In light of this, we investigate the potential of OAM entanglement of photons by controlling the parameters in both the generation and measurement systems. We show the experimental procedures and apparatus involved in generating and measuring entangled photons in two-dimensions. We verify important quantum tests such as the Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (EPR) paradox using OAM and angle correlations, as well as a violation of a Bell-type inequality. By performing a full state tomography, we characterise our quantum state and show we have a pure, highly entangled quantum state. We demonstrate that this method can be extended to higher dimensions. The experimental techniques used to generate and measure OAM entanglement place an upper bound on the number of accessible OAM modes. As such, we investigate new methods in which to increase the spiral bandwidth of our generated quantum state. We alter the shape of the pump beam in spontaneous parametric down-conversion and demonstrate an effect on both OAM and angle correlations. We also made changes to the measurement scheme by projecting the photon pairs into the Bessel-Gaussian (BG) basis and demonstrate entanglement in this basis. We show that this method allows the measured spiral bandwidth to be optimised by simply varying the continuous radial parameter of the BG modes. We demonstrate that BG modes can be entangled in higher dimensions compared with the commonly used helical modes by calculating and comparing the linear entropy and fidelity for both modes. We also show that quantum entanglement can be accurately simulated using classical light using back-projection, which allows the study of projective measurements and predicts the strength of the coincidence correlations in an entanglement experiment. Finally, we make use of each of the techniques to demonstrate the effect of a perturbation on OAM entanglement measured in the BG basis. We investigate the self-healing property of BG beams and show that the classical property is translated to the quantum regime. By calculating the concurrence, we see that measured entanglement recovers after encountering an obstruction.
Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams contain a helical phase front with a doughnut-like intensity profile. We use the LG beam to introduce a rather simple method for generation of a vector beam (VB), a beam with spatially-dependent polarization in the beam cross section, via the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR). We consider the NMOR of the polarization of a linearly polarized probe field passing through an inverted Y-type four-level quantum system interacting with a LG control field and a static magnetic field. It is shown that the polarization of the transmitted field is spatially distributed by the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of the LG control field, leading to generation of the VB with azimuthally symmetric polarization distribution. We show that the polarization and intensity distributions of the VB spatially vary by changing the OAMs of the LG control field. Moreover, the radial index of the LG control field has a major role in more spatially polarization distributing of the VB. It is shown that the intensity of the generated VBs in different points of the beam cross section can be controlled by the OAM as well as the radial index of the LG control field. However, the VB with highly spatially distributed can be generated for higher values of the radial index of LG control field. The analytical calculations determine the contribution of the different nonlinear (cross-Kerr effect) phenomena on the generation of the VB. We show that the VB is mainly generated via birefringence induced by the applied fields. Finally, we use asymmetric LG (aLG) beams for making the VBs with asymmetric polarization distribution. It is shown that by applying aLG beams, the azimuthal symmetry of the polarization distribution breaks and the asymmetric polarization distribution can be controlled by OAM and radial index of the aLG control field. The obtained results may find more interesting applications in fiber/free space optical communication to enhance the capacity of the information transmission.