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Frontiers of Physics

Narrowband photon pair generation and waveform reshaping

J. F. Chen, Shengwang Du

Published Sep 4, 2012• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this article, we review on narrowband photon pairs produced in nonlinear crystals, and especially in atomic ensembles. In atomic ensembles, “write-read” process in pulse mode and spontaneous four-wave mixing process (SFWM) in continuous mode are two popular photon pair generation schemes. We specifically discuss the experimental works with continuous SFWM scheme in cold atomic ensembles. Photon pairs produced in these systems are characteristic of controllable long coherence time, and therefore are accessible with direct temporal modulation. We elaborate on the recent techniques on modulation and waveform reshaping of narrow-band paired photons.

DOI
10.1007/s11467-012-0260-1

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In this article, we review on narrowband photon pairs produced in nonlinear crystals, and especially in atomic ensembles. In atomic ensembles, “write-read” process in pulse mode and spontaneous four-wave mixing process (SFWM) in continuous mode are two popular photon pair generation schemes. We specifically discuss the experimental works with continuous SFWM scheme in cold atomic ensembles. Photon pairs produced in these systems are characteristic of controllable long coherence time, and therefore are accessible with direct temporal modulation. We elaborate on the recent techniques on modulation and waveform reshaping of narrow-band paired photons.
In this short review some essentials concerning creation and testing of nonclassically correlated photons (biphotons) are given. In the introduction we remind the role which the experimentally produced entangled states have been playing for the foundations of the quantum physics, by witnessing against the model of local hidden variables. The well established sources of biphotons are based on spontaneous parametric down conversion in nonlinear crystals. A popular source with two BBO crystals is described, which generates pairs of photons nearly maximally entangled in polarization. Crystalbased sources rely on intrinsically broadband transitions, therefore thus produced biphotons are also broadband. Additional efforts (like applying optical cavities) are needed to reach narrowband biphotons which would comply with the requirements of some implementations in the quantum communication science. The topical issue of our article is a review of another, more recent approaches based on narrowband transitions between levels in cold atoms. Such method provides naturally narrowband biphotons. First, the principles are given of an atomic source of nonclassically paired photons, which is operated in a pulsed write-read mode. Such source is based on two separated in time Raman transitions triggered successively in two Λ-schemes. Next, cw-mode sources based (mainly) on spontaneous four wave mixing process (SFWM) are presented in a generic four-level scheme. Some underlying physics is sketched and profiles of biphoton correlation functions in the time domain are explained. Among other presented SFWM sources, one proves in testing high degree entanglement of generated biphotons, both in time-frequency and polarization (hyperentanglement).
Generating nonclassical light offers a benchmark tool for fundamental research and potential applications in quantum optics. Conventionally, it has become a standard technique to produce nonclassical light through the nonlinear optical processes occurring in nonlinear crystals. We describe this process using cold atomic-gas media to generate such nonclassical light, especially focusing on narrowband biphoton generation. Compared with the standard procedure the new biphoton source has such properties as long coherence time, long coherence length, high spectral brightness, and high conversion efficiency. Although there exist two methodologies describing the physical process, we concentrate on the theoretical aspect of the entangled two-photon state produced from the four-wave mixing in a multilevel atomic ensemble using perturbation theory. We show that both linear and nonlinear optical responses to the generated fields play an important role in determining the biphoton waveform and, consequently, on the two-photon temporal correlation. There are two characteristic regimes determined by whether the linear or nonlinear coherence time is dominant. In addition, our model provides a clear physical picture that brings insight into understanding biphoton optics with this new source. We apply our model to recent work on generating narrowband (and even subnatural linewidth) paired photons using the technique of electromagnetically induced transparency and slow-light effect in cold atoms and find good agreement with experimental results.
The generation of nonclassical photon pairs with a long coherence time is key for applications that range from fundamental to quantum communication and metrology. Spontaneous four-wave mixing with electromagnetically induced transparency has been demonstrated as one of the most efficient methods; however, narrowing the bandwidth and producing photon pairs with a temporal length beyond 1 μs remains a technical challenge due to noise considerations and the need for cold atoms with a high optical depth (OD). In this work, we demonstrate the generation of narrowband photon pairs with a controllable coherence time up to 1.72 μs in a laser-cooled atomic ensemble with an OD as high as 130. At such a high OD, we find that the pump laser field spatial profile has a significant effect on the time–frequency entangled two-photon waveform. We also confirm the quantum particle nature of heralded narrowband single photons generated from this source.
Biphotons are entangled photon pairs that cannot be described as a product state of two individual photons. In this talk we summarize our recent progress in generating narrowband biphotons from spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in cold atoms with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Here we are particularly interested in the group delay regime, where the biphoton time-frequency entanglement and joint wave function can be manipulated by controlling the group-delay-induced phase matching condition of the paired photons. The biphoton coherence time, thus its bandwidth of the joint spectrum, is determined by the relative group delay between the paired photons. The longest biphoton coherence time on record is more than 3 µs. We find that for a fixed optical depth, the twophoton waveform is independent of the atomic density distribution. However, the spatial profiles of the two driving laser beams have significant effects on the biphoton temporal wavefunction. We demonstrate a technique of shaping the biphoton temporal wavefunction by directly mapping the spatial profile of the pump laser beam onto the biphoton temporal waveform. This spatial-to-temporal mapping, or series-toparallel conversion, allows for coding the spatial information of the pump spatial profile to the sequential temporal modes of the biphtoon quantum state. Using a computer-controlled spatial light modulator, we produced biphotons with temporal waveforms of Gaussian, exponential, and double-peak shapes. As compared to temporally modulating the driving laser fields that reduces the frequency entanglement, this spatial-to-temporal biphoton shaping does not scarify the time-frequency entanglement and can be used to produce heralded narrowband single photons with controllable waveforms.
Driven by the desire of narrow-band photon pairs source, in this Mphil thesis work, we demonstrate the generation of photon pairs with controllable coherence time up to 1.72 microseconds, using spontaneous four-wave mixing with electromagnetically induced transparency in a laser-cooled atomic ensemble with an optical depth (OD) as high as 130. At such a high OD, we find that the pump laser intensity profile has a significant effect on the time-frequency entangled two-photon waveform. We also confirm the quantum particle nature of heralded narrow-band single photons generated from this source.