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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Optical detection of ultrasound using AFC-based quantum memory technique in cryogenic rare earth ion doped crystals

Luke R. Taylor, D. L. McAuslan, Jevon J. Longdell

Published Mar 4, 2013• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present results of a novel and highly sensitive technique for the optical detection of ultrasound using the selective storage of frequency shifted photons in an inherently highly efficient and low noise atomic frequency comb (AFC) based quantum memory. The ultrasound ‘tagged’ optical sidebands are absorbed within a pair of symmetric AFCs, generated via optical pumping in a Pr3+:Y2SiO5 sample (tooth separation Δ = 150 kHz, comb finesse fc ~ 2 and optical depth αL ~ 2), separated by twice the ultrasound modulation frequency (1.5 MHz) and centered on either side of a broad spectral pit (1.7 MHz width) allowing transmission of the carrier. The stored sidebands are recovered with 10-20% efficiency as a photon echo (as defined by the comb parameters), and we demonstrate a record 49 dB discrimination between the sidebands and the carrier pulse, high discrimination being important for imaging tissues at depth. We further demonstrate detector limited discrimination (~29 dB) using a highly scattered beam, confirming that the technique is immune to speckle decorrelation. We show that it also remains valid in the case of optically thin samples, and thus represents a significant improvement over other ultrasound detection methods based on rare-earth-ion-doped crystals. These results strongly suggest the suitability of our technique for high-resolution non-contact real-time imaging of biological tissues.

DOI
10.1117/12.2003418

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We present results of a novel and highly sensitive technique for the optical detection of ultrasound using the selective storage of frequency shifted photons in an inherently highly efficient and low noise atomic frequency comb (AFC) based quantum memory. The ultrasound ‘tagged’ optical sidebands are absorbed within a pair of symmetric AFCs, generated via optical pumping in a Pr3+:Y2SiO5 sample (tooth separation Δ = 150 kHz, comb finesse fc ~ 2 and optical depth αL ~ 2), separated by twice the ultrasound modulation frequency (1.5 MHz) and centered on either side of a broad spectral pit (1.7 MHz width) allowing transmission of the carrier. The stored sidebands are recovered with 10-20% efficiency as a photon echo (as defined by the comb parameters), and we demonstrate a record 49 dB discrimination between the sidebands and the carrier pulse, high discrimination being important for imaging tissues at depth. We further demonstrate detector limited discrimination (~29 dB) using a highly scattered beam, confirming that the technique is immune to speckle decorrelation. We show that it also remains valid in the case of optically thin samples, and thus represents a significant improvement over other ultrasound detection methods based on rare-earth-ion-doped crystals. These results strongly suggest the suitability of our technique for high-resolution non-contact real-time imaging of biological tissues.
The interaction of ultrasound and light in biological tissues results in a small amount of the scattered light being shifted relative to the carrier frequency (typically 1 part in 108). We have developed an inherently efficient and low noise quantum memory based technique to selectively absorb these ‘ultrasound tagged’ photons in a pair of atomic frequency combs, and recover them delayed in time as a photon echo. In this manner we have demonstrated record ultrasoundmodulated sideband-to-carrier discrimination (49dB). Further, we confirm that the technique is compatible with highly scattering samples, and present initial acoustic pulse tracking measurements. This strongly suggests the suitability of the technique for biological tissue imaging.
Quantum memories are inherently highly efficient and display low noise, making them particularly suitable for the optical detection of ultrasound. Here, we use an atomic-frequency-comb based quantum memory to demonstrate sensitive ultrasound detection, realising a 49 dB discrimination between the sidebands and the carrier. The method remains valid in the case of optically thin samples and thus represents a significant improvement over other ultrasound detection methods based on rare-earth-ion-doped crystals. Furthermore, we show that this non-destructive non-contact approach is also compatible with highly scattering samples and suggest its particular suitability for the real-time imaging of biological tissues.
Quantum memory will be a key component in future quantum networks, and atomic frequency combs (AFCs) in rare-earth-doped crystals are one promising platform for realizing this technology. We theoretically and experimentally investigate the formation of AFCs in Pr3+:Y2SiO5, with an overall bandwidth of 120 MHz and tooth spacing ranging from 0.1 MHz to 20 MHz, showing agreement between our calculations and measurements. We observe that the echo efficiency depends crucially on the AFC tooth spacing. Our results suggest approaches to developing a high-efficiency AFC quantum memory.
This thesis describes experiments aimed at developing a key component in applications such as quantum networks and long-distance quantum communication systems: quantum memories. Quantum memories for light using photon-echo and coherent rephrasing techniques have been developed. The work is carried out on rare-earth-ion-doped inorganic crystals. Several properties are associated with these crystals such as long coherence times and long-lived ground state sublevels that are particularly interesting in connection applications in the area of quantum information science. It is demonstrated the preparation of optical inhomogeneous absorption profiles such that the light only interacts with a specific transition at a selected frequency. Narrow absorbing structures with widths of <100 kHz have been prepared with no absorption in the surrounding spectral interval. Most of the experiments were carried out using Pr3+:Y2SiO5. However, in our search for suitable a Λ-system in the material under consideration, we also performed spectral hole-burning spectroscopy in Nd:Y2SiVO4. As part of the search for host materials for Pr, Pr:La2(WO4)3 crystal was characterized using a variety of methods, such as, hole burning and photon-echoes. Electromagnetically induced transparency was also observed in this crystal. The most important criteria for evaluating quantum memory performance and the most important physical requirements are discussed. After investigating the standard photon echo techniques and controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening (CRIB) for quantum state storage, we considered an efficient multimode quantum memory protocol; the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol. Combs with peaks of widths 100-300 kHz and an optical depth of~ 10 were created by optical pumping inside an emptied region of the inhomogeneous profile of Pr3+:Y2SiO5, allowing us to improve the efficiency of light storage. Light storage combining a photon-echo technique based on an AFC and spin-wave storage have been demonstrated, and an experimental AFC scheme for the storage of weak coherent light pulses in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 is presented. Finally, we have investigated superradiance and slow light effects. Both these effects occur in the high optical depth regime and can influence the memory performance. Under certain conditions superradiance results in the immediate re-emission of the stored light in a single burst of coherent radiation, and inside spectrally structured materials, slow light effects may result when storage is performed.
Rare-earth-ion doped crystals are state-of-the-art materials for optical quantum memories and quantum transducers between optical and microwave photons. Here we describe our progress towards a nanophotonic quantum memory based on a rare-earth (Neodymium) doped yttrium orthosilicate (YSO) photonic crystal resonator. The Purcell-enhanced coupling of the 883 nm transitions of Neodymium (Nd3+) ions to the nano-resonator results in increased optical depth, which could in principle facilitate highly efficient photon storage via cavity impedance matching. The atomic frequency comb (AFC) memory protocol can be implemented in the Nd:YSO nano-resonator by efficient optical pumping into the long-lived Zeeman state. Coherent optical signals can be stored and retrieved from the AFC memory. We currently measure a storage efficiency on par with a bulk crystal Nd:YSO memory that is millimeters long. Our results will enable multiplexed on-chip quantum storage and thus quantum repeater devices using rare-earth-ions.
Long-lived sub-levels of the electronic ground-state manifold of rare-earth ions in crystals can be used as atomic population reservoirs for photon echo-based quantum memories. We measure the dynamics of the Zeeman sub-levels of erbium ions that are doped into a lithium niobate waveguide, finding population lifetimes at cryogenic temperatures down to 0.7 K as long as seconds. Then, using these levels, we prepare and characterize atomic frequency combs (AFCs), which can serve as a memory for quantum light at 1532 nm wavelength. The results allow predicting a 0.1% memory efficiency, limited mainly by unwanted background absorption that we believe to be caused by excitation-induced erbium spin flips and frequency shifting due to two-level systems or non-equilibrium phonons. Hence, while it should be possible to create an AFC-based quantum memory in E r 3 + : T i 4 + : L i N b O 3 , improved crystal growth together with optimized AFC preparation will be required to make it suitable for applications in quantum communication.