Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Journal of Physics Conference Series

Measurement of geometric phases by robust interferometric methods

J. C. Loredo, Omar Ortiz, A Ballón, F. De Zela

Published Jan 1, 2011• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a novel interferometric arrangement that makes it possible to measure with great versatility geometric phases produced in polarization states of classical light. Our arrangement is robust against thermal and mechanical disturbances and can be set up in a Mach-Zehnder, a Michelson or a Sagnac configuration. We present results concerning the geometric phase as an extension of previous measurements of the Pancharatnam, or total phase. The geometric phase is obtained by compensating the dynamical contribution to the total phase, so as to extract out of it a purely geometric phase. This can be achieved over trajectories on the Poincare sphere that are not necessarily restricted to be great circles (geodesics). We thus demonstrate the feasibility of our method for dynamical extraction of the geometric contribution to the total phase, a prerequisite for building geometric quantum gates. Although our results correspond to polarization states of classical light, the same methodology could be applied in the case of polarization states of single photons.

DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/274/1/012140

Related papers

Measurement of Pancharatnam’s phase by robust interferometric and polarimetric methods

J. C. Loredo, Omar Ortiz, Roland Weingärtner +1 more

We report on theoretical calculations and experimental observations of Pancharatnam's phase originating from arbitrary SU(2) transformations applied to polarization states of light. We have implemented polarimetric and interferometric methods, which allow us to cover the full Poincar\'e sphere. As a distinctive feature, our interferometric array is robust against mechanical and thermal disturbances, showing that the polarimetric method is not inherently superior over the interferometric one, as previously assumed. Our strategy effectively amounts to feeding an interferometer with two copropagating beams that are orthogonally polarized with respect to each other. It can be applied to different types of standard arrays, such as a Michelson, a Sagnac, or a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We exhibit the versatility of our arrangement by performing measurements of Pancharatnam's phases and fringe visibilities that closely fit the theoretical predictions. Our approach can be easily extended to deal with mixed states and to study decoherence effects.

arXiv:1510.03799•Physical Review A•Jul 24, 2009•26 citations

All-optical polarimetric generation of mixed-state single-photon geometric phases

Diego Barberena, Omar Ortiz, Yonny Yugra +2 more

We report robust polarimetric measurements of mixed-state geometric phases. An all-optical setup was used to generate geometric phases with great versatility, thereby extending the scope of analogous methods used in neutron polarimetry. Our method allows us to explore geometric phases generated by unitarily evolving mixed states. These are realized as partially polarized single-photon states whose degree of polarization and normalized Stokes vector can be fixed independently of one another. The geometric phases correspond to both open and closed trajectories in Poincar\'e space. By exploiting the gauge invariance of geometric phases we nullify their dynamical part, thereby making the geometric phase coincide with the total (Pancharatnam) phase, which can be directly addressed by employing standard techniques.

Physical Review A•Jan 5, 2016•5 citations

Classical-to-quantum transfer of geometric phase for non-interferometric phase measurement and manipulation of quantum state

Vimlesh Kumar, Chahat Kaushik, M. Ebrahim-Zadeh +2 more

The geometric phase, originating from the cyclic evolution of a state, such as polarization on the Poincaré sphere, is typically measured through interferometric approaches that often include unwanted contributions from the dynamic phase. Here, we present a non-interferometric technique based on quantum correlation of pair photons to measure the geometric phase of a classical beam. The transfer of geometric phase of the classical pump beam arising from the cyclic evolution of its polarization state on the Poincaré sphere onto the polarization-entangled pair photons generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a Sagnac interferometer enables easy control over the quantum state. Characterization of the generated quantum states reveals that the geometric phase of the pump beam controls the coincidence counts, entanglement visibility, Bell's parameter, quantum state tomography, and fidelity in close agreement with theoretical predictions. We observe sinusoidal modulation of the Bell's parameter and state fidelity with changes in the geometric phase, resulting in transitions between orthogonal Bell states and Bell-like maximally entangled states. Our results establish the geometric phase of the classical pump as a tunable parameter for quantum state control, offering a compact, passive platform for phase manipulation in quantum photonic systems, enabling geometric phase-based quantum gates, and compensating unwanted phase acquired by the quantum state on propagation.

arXiv:2505.20108•May 26, 2025•0 citations

Polarimetric measurements of single-photon geometric phases

Omar Ortiz, Yonny Yugra, A. Rosario +4 more

We report polarimetric measurements of geometric phases that are generated by evolving polarized photons along nongeodesic trajectories on the Poincar\'e sphere. The core of our polarimetric array consists of seven wave plates that are traversed by a single-photon beam. With this array, any SU(2) transformation can be realized. By exploiting the gauge invariance of geometric phases under U(1) local transformations, we nullify the dynamical contribution to the total phase, thereby making the latter coincide with the geometric phase. We demonstrate our arrangement to be insensitive to various sources of noise entering it. This makes the single-beam, polarimetric array a promising, versatile tool for testing robustness of geometric phases against noise.

arXiv:1510.03802•Physical Review A•Jan 24, 2014•4 citations

Experimental measurement of the geometric phase of non-geodesic circles

Andrew A. Voitiv, Mark T. Lusk, Mark E. Siemens

We present and implement a method for the experimental measurement of geometric phase of non-geodesic (small) circles on any SU(2) parameter space. This phase is measured by subtracting the dynamic phase contribution from the total phase accumulated. Our design does not require theoretical anticipation of this dynamic phase value and the methods are generally applicable to any system accessible to interferometric and projection measurements. Experimental implementations are presented for two settings: (1) the sphere of modes of orbital angular momentum, and (2) the Poincaré sphere of polarizations of Gaussian beams.

arXiv:2305.06905•Optics Letters•Apr 21, 2023•3 citations

Geometric phases in two-photon interference experiments

Jurgen Brendel, Wolfgang Dultz, W. Martienssen

Photon pairs produced by type-I and type-II parametric down-conversion are passed through a Michelson interferometer. Two quarter-wave plates in one arm of the interferometer allow variation of the polarization state of the photons. We investigate experimentally the geometric phase or Pancharatnam phase acquired by single photons and photon pairs dependent on the solid angle that is subtended by the circuit that represents the varying state of polarization on the Poincar\'e sphere. It is found that the geometric phase acquired by the pair depends on the initial polarization state of the two photons. If both photons are in equal states of linear polarization, we observe a doubling of the geometric phase compared to single photons; in the case of orthogonal states of linear polarization, the geometric phase is completely canceled. Our results show the role of Pancharatnam's phase in nonclassical two-photon interference phenomena and the interplay between the geometric phase and the dynamical phase in these phenomena.

Physical Review A•Oct 1, 1995•44 citations
We present a novel interferometric arrangement that makes it possible to measure with great versatility geometric phases produced in polarization states of classical light. Our arrangement is robust against thermal and mechanical disturbances and can be set up in a Mach-Zehnder, a Michelson or a Sagnac configuration. We present results concerning the geometric phase as an extension of previous measurements of the Pancharatnam, or total phase. The geometric phase is obtained by compensating the dynamical contribution to the total phase, so as to extract out of it a purely geometric phase. This can be achieved over trajectories on the Poincare sphere that are not necessarily restricted to be great circles (geodesics). We thus demonstrate the feasibility of our method for dynamical extraction of the geometric contribution to the total phase, a prerequisite for building geometric quantum gates. Although our results correspond to polarization states of classical light, the same methodology could be applied in the case of polarization states of single photons.
We report on theoretical calculations and experimental observations of Pancharatnam's phase originating from arbitrary SU(2) transformations applied to polarization states of light. We have implemented polarimetric and interferometric methods, which allow us to cover the full Poincar\'e sphere. As a distinctive feature, our interferometric array is robust against mechanical and thermal disturbances, showing that the polarimetric method is not inherently superior over the interferometric one, as previously assumed. Our strategy effectively amounts to feeding an interferometer with two copropagating beams that are orthogonally polarized with respect to each other. It can be applied to different types of standard arrays, such as a Michelson, a Sagnac, or a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We exhibit the versatility of our arrangement by performing measurements of Pancharatnam's phases and fringe visibilities that closely fit the theoretical predictions. Our approach can be easily extended to deal with mixed states and to study decoherence effects.
We report robust polarimetric measurements of mixed-state geometric phases. An all-optical setup was used to generate geometric phases with great versatility, thereby extending the scope of analogous methods used in neutron polarimetry. Our method allows us to explore geometric phases generated by unitarily evolving mixed states. These are realized as partially polarized single-photon states whose degree of polarization and normalized Stokes vector can be fixed independently of one another. The geometric phases correspond to both open and closed trajectories in Poincar\'e space. By exploiting the gauge invariance of geometric phases we nullify their dynamical part, thereby making the geometric phase coincide with the total (Pancharatnam) phase, which can be directly addressed by employing standard techniques.
The geometric phase, originating from the cyclic evolution of a state, such as polarization on the Poincaré sphere, is typically measured through interferometric approaches that often include unwanted contributions from the dynamic phase. Here, we present a non-interferometric technique based on quantum correlation of pair photons to measure the geometric phase of a classical beam. The transfer of geometric phase of the classical pump beam arising from the cyclic evolution of its polarization state on the Poincaré sphere onto the polarization-entangled pair photons generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a Sagnac interferometer enables easy control over the quantum state. Characterization of the generated quantum states reveals that the geometric phase of the pump beam controls the coincidence counts, entanglement visibility, Bell's parameter, quantum state tomography, and fidelity in close agreement with theoretical predictions. We observe sinusoidal modulation of the Bell's parameter and state fidelity with changes in the geometric phase, resulting in transitions between orthogonal Bell states and Bell-like maximally entangled states. Our results establish the geometric phase of the classical pump as a tunable parameter for quantum state control, offering a compact, passive platform for phase manipulation in quantum photonic systems, enabling geometric phase-based quantum gates, and compensating unwanted phase acquired by the quantum state on propagation.
We report polarimetric measurements of geometric phases that are generated by evolving polarized photons along nongeodesic trajectories on the Poincar\'e sphere. The core of our polarimetric array consists of seven wave plates that are traversed by a single-photon beam. With this array, any SU(2) transformation can be realized. By exploiting the gauge invariance of geometric phases under U(1) local transformations, we nullify the dynamical contribution to the total phase, thereby making the latter coincide with the geometric phase. We demonstrate our arrangement to be insensitive to various sources of noise entering it. This makes the single-beam, polarimetric array a promising, versatile tool for testing robustness of geometric phases against noise.
We present and implement a method for the experimental measurement of geometric phase of non-geodesic (small) circles on any SU(2) parameter space. This phase is measured by subtracting the dynamic phase contribution from the total phase accumulated. Our design does not require theoretical anticipation of this dynamic phase value and the methods are generally applicable to any system accessible to interferometric and projection measurements. Experimental implementations are presented for two settings: (1) the sphere of modes of orbital angular momentum, and (2) the Poincaré sphere of polarizations of Gaussian beams.
Photon pairs produced by type-I and type-II parametric down-conversion are passed through a Michelson interferometer. Two quarter-wave plates in one arm of the interferometer allow variation of the polarization state of the photons. We investigate experimentally the geometric phase or Pancharatnam phase acquired by single photons and photon pairs dependent on the solid angle that is subtended by the circuit that represents the varying state of polarization on the Poincar\'e sphere. It is found that the geometric phase acquired by the pair depends on the initial polarization state of the two photons. If both photons are in equal states of linear polarization, we observe a doubling of the geometric phase compared to single photons; in the case of orthogonal states of linear polarization, the geometric phase is completely canceled. Our results show the role of Pancharatnam's phase in nonclassical two-photon interference phenomena and the interplay between the geometric phase and the dynamical phase in these phenomena.