Shaping Entangled Photon Pairs

Hugo Defienne, Matthew C. Reichert, Xiaohang Sun +1 more

Krishna Thyagarajan

Patrick Cameron, Baptiste Courme, Daniele Faccio +1 more

Abstract Quantum imaging enhances imaging systems performance, potentially surpassing fundamental limits such as noise and resolution. However, these schemes have limitations and are still a long way from replacing classical techniques. Therefore, there is a strong focus on improving the practicality of quantum imaging methods, with the goal of finding real-world applications. With this in mind, in this tutorial we describe how the concepts of classical light shaping can be applied to imaging schemes based on entangled photon pairs. We detail two basic experimental configurations in which a spatial light modulator is used to shape the spatial correlations of a photon pair state and highlight the key differences between this and classical shaping. We then showcase two recent examples that expand on these concepts to perform aberration and scattering correction with photon pairs. We include specific details on the key steps of these experiments, with the goal that this can be used as a guide for building photon-pair-based imaging and shaping experiments.

Patrick Cameron, Baptiste Courme, Daniele Faccio +1 more

Quantum imaging enhances imaging systems performance, potentially surpassing fundamental limits such as noise and resolution. However, these schemes have limitations and are still a long way from replacing classical techniques. Therefore, there is a strong focus on improving the practicality of quantum imaging methods, with the goal of finding real-world applications. With this in mind, in this tutorial we describe how the concepts of classical light shaping can be applied to imaging schemes based on entangled photon pairs. We detail two basic experimental configurations in which a spatial light modulator is used to shape the spatial correlations of a photon pair state and highlight the key differences between this and classical shaping. We then showcase two recent examples that expand on these concepts to perform aberration and scattering correction with photon pairs. We include specific details on the key steps of these experiments, with the goal that this can be used as a guide for building photon-pair-based imaging and shaping experiments.

Hsin-Pin Lo, Atsushi Yabushita, Takayoshi Kobayashi

Parametric down-conversion in a nonlinear crystal-generated photon pair in which photons have orthogonal polarization. The pair was emitted in a cone shape for each polarization and collimated by a lens to be doughnut shaped. The doughnutlike photon pair runs collinear to the pump laser. The group delay and walk-off between the orthogonal polarization photons in the pair were compensated passing through a half-wave plate and a nonlinear crystal. Then, the photon doughnut pair was coupled into a $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2$ fiber together with a pump laser, i.e., the intense pump laser was used as a guide for alignment. After the alignment was finished, a cut filter was inserted in the optical path to cut the pump laser transmitting the photon doughnut pair. The coincidence measurement of the output of the $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2$ fiber showed that the photon pairs are entangled in polarization.

Phillip F. Schewe