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IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics

Phase conjugation of single photons

N. F. Andreev, V. I. Bespalov, M. A. Dvoretskii, Guerman A. Pasmanik

Published Mar 1, 1989• 26 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Phase conjugation (PC) of extremely weak signals using a phase-conjugate mirror based on Mandelstam-Brillouin-enhanced four-wave mixing, coupled with an optical quantum amplifier, is considered. PC of a pulse with energy 4*10/sup -17/ J is achieved. PC conditions for amplified superluminescence noise of the optical quantum amplifier are specified and the limiting parameters are estimated. It is shown experimentally that if the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) is equal to unity, the energy of an input signal for which phase conjugation is possible corresponds to 30 photons per transverse mode.>

DOI
10.1109/3.18548

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IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Annual Meeting (LEOS)•Nov 19, 2002•0 citations
Phase conjugation (PC) of extremely weak signals using a phase-conjugate mirror based on Mandelstam-Brillouin-enhanced four-wave mixing, coupled with an optical quantum amplifier, is considered. PC of a pulse with energy 4*10/sup -17/ J is achieved. PC conditions for amplified superluminescence noise of the optical quantum amplifier are specified and the limiting parameters are estimated. It is shown experimentally that if the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) is equal to unity, the energy of an input signal for which phase conjugation is possible corresponds to 30 photons per transverse mode.>
The results of the study on phase conjugation of weak optical signals with an energy of several photons are considered. Basic concepts of a semi-classical theoretical approach to describe amplification and phase conjugation (PC) of such signals are presented. A review is given of the experimental investigations that allowed reaching a limiting (about 1 photon per mode) sensitivity of optical systems with PC-mirrors for a large (~105) number of resolution elements. High-sensitivity PC-mirror optical systems are demonstrated for a variety of applications.
The results of the study on phase conjugation of weak optical signals with the energy of units of photons are considered. Basic concepts of a semi-classical theoretical approach to describe amplification and phase conjugation (PC) of such signals are presented. A review is given on the experimental investigations that allowed for reaching a limit (about 1 photon for a mode) sensitivity of optical systems with PC-mirrors for a large (~ 105) number of resolution elements. High-sensitivity PC-mirror optical systems are demonstrated for a variety of applications.
We present the results of a comprehensive investigation of the quantum-noise properties of a continuous-wave phase-conjugate mirror (PCM) formed using backward-four-wave mixing in potassium vapor. We characterize the quantum-noise properties of the PCM as functions of the vapor density, pump detuning from resonance, and relative frequency detuning of the signal beam from the probe beam. We compare the noise measurements of the PCM with the predicted noise of an ideal quantum-noise-limited PCM and determine the value of the minimum signal that can be used to perform phase conjugation with unity signal-to-noise ratio. For the range of vapor densities studied, we find that the PCM operates nearest the quantum-noise limit and that the value of the minimum signal is lowest under conditions in which the reflectivity is maximized. These results demonstrate that it is possible to perform phase conjugation with signals as weak as 14 fW with near-unity reflectivity. Our measurements are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of a quantum theory of phase conjugation via nearly degenerate four-wave mixing in a two-level system.
We investigate theoretically the quantum-noise properties of optical phase conjugation via four-wave mixing of nonclassical signal fields. We show that while the field generated at a phase-conjugate mirror (PCM) can be in a nonclassical state, the generated field is not necessarily useful within the context of phase conjugation. For the case in which a quadrature-squeezed signal field is incident at a PCM, we determine that the signal-to-noise ratio of one of the quadrature components of the generated field can approach the signal-to-noise ratio of the corresponding quadrature component of the signal field as the amount of squeezing of the vacuum field injected at the rear of the PCM is increased. For the case in which the signal field is amplitude squeezed, we determine that the signal-to-noise ratio of the conjugate field is always much smaller than that of the signal field. These results demonstrate that the phase-conjugation process can preserve the desirable quantum-noise properties of quadrature-squeezed fields but not those of amplitude-squeezed fields.