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 the Optical Society of America B

The beginning of quantum nonlinear optics [Invited]

Amnon Yariv

Published Dec 1, 2011• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

A description by the author of the early days of nonlinear optics (NLO), and the motivation for the formulation of the quantum theory of NLO, implications to a number of diverse areas, and the background for the prediction of spontaneous parametric fluorescence.
DOI
10.1364/josab.28.000a83

Related papers

Historical Development of Quantum Optics and A Brief Introduction

WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks•Jul 4, 2017•1 citation

The Beginnings of Quantum Nonlinear Optics and of Optical Phase Conjugation; Answers to Communication Challenges

Amnon Yariv

The advent of quantum mechanics led early in the 20th century to a rigorous quantitative description of the phenomenon of spontaneous emission from excited atomic states. The fields of nonlinear electronics and nonlinear optics (NLO) have gone through a conceptually similar process. The quantum formulation of the optical parametric amplifier and oscillator led to the prediction and soon afterwards to the demonstration of parametric spontaneous fluorescence (PSF).

Nonlinear Optics•Jan 1, 2011•0 citations

Quantum Optics for Experimentalists

Z. Y. Ou

This book on quantum optics is from the point of view of an experimentalist. It approaches the theory of quantum optics with the language of optical modes of classical wave theory, with which experimentalists are most familiar.

WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks•Feb 6, 2017•58 citations

Quantum Theory Analysis of Loss Effects in Guided Nonlinear-Optic Twin-Photon Generation

Toshiaki Suhara, T. Nosaka

Integrated nonlinear-optic (NLO) devices for generation of twin-photon beams are a key device for quantum information techniques. This paper presents a quantum theory analysis on the effect of optical losses in twin-photon generation. The analysis uses a multi-mode-pair description, and is based upon unitary transformations of amplitude operators and state vectors for describing the NLO and loss phenomena in infinitesimal sections in the interaction range. Full description of the quantum states of the twin-photon beams affected by the losses is obtained. Mathematical expressions useful for prediction of the performances degradation are deduced

IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics•Jul 21, 2006•7 citations

Preface to the special topic: Principles and applications of quantum optics

Xiaojun Jia, Haibin WU, Lijian ZHANG

Acta Physica Sinica•Jan 1, 2026•0 citations

Stimulated Phase Conjugation of Structured Single Photons Through Cascaded Parametric Down-Conversion

Tobey J. B. Luck

Stimulated parametric down-conversion (StimPDC) can act as a phase-conjugating nonlinear process when one of the down-converted modes is driven by a bright classical field. In this regime, the stimulated contribution to the nonlinear interaction dominates over the spontaneous background and the generated idler reproduces the conjugated phase of the seed with high fidelity. This behaviour has enabled classical turbulence-mitigation schemes in free-space optical channels, where a probe beam acquires a distorted wavefront that is deterministically conjugated in a nonlinear crystal and corrected upon reverse propagation. This thesis examines whether the same mechanism can be extended to the single-photon regime. The analysis begins by reviewing the spatial-mode structure of classical StimPDC using a Laguerre–Gaussian description of the nonlinear interaction. The turbulence-mitigation protocol is then summarized to clarify why high-fidelity phase conjugation is central to its operation. The main theoretical development introduces the single-photon–seeded version of the process, referred to as SPS-PDC. Using the full biphoton amplitude of SPS-PDC, the idler mean photon number is derived and shown to contain coherent spontaneous and stimulated contributions of comparable magnitude when only one photon occupies the seeded mode. Because the stimulated term no longer overwhelms the spontaneous background, the generated idler does not reproduce a unique conjugated wavefront. This result identifies a fundamental limit: perfect phase conjugation cannot be achieved with a single-photon seed in a second-order nonlinear interaction of this type. The implications of this scaling behaviour are examined in the context of turbulence mitigation and quantum key distribution. Although a single-photon version of the classical protocol would offer intrinsic security, the absence of deterministic conjugation prevents reliable wavefront correction. The thesis concludes by outlining an experimental approach for resolving the joint spatial structure of the two idler photons produced in a cascaded parametric down-conversion process. Such measurements would directly test the predicted division between spontaneous and stimulated contributions and further clarify the boundary between classical and quantum phase-conjugation regimes.

•Oct 7, 2026•0 citations
Integrated nonlinear-optic (NLO) devices for generation of twin-photon beams are a key device for quantum information techniques. This paper presents a quantum theory analysis on the effect of optical losses in twin-photon generation. The analysis uses a multi-mode-pair description, and is based upon unitary transformations of amplitude operators and state vectors for describing the NLO and loss phenomena in infinitesimal sections in the interaction range. Full description of the quantum states of the twin-photon beams affected by the losses is obtained. Mathematical expressions useful for prediction of the performances degradation are deduced
Stimulated parametric down-conversion (StimPDC) can act as a phase-conjugating nonlinear process when one of the down-converted modes is driven by a bright classical field. In this regime, the stimulated contribution to the nonlinear interaction dominates over the spontaneous background and the generated idler reproduces the conjugated phase of the seed with high fidelity. This behaviour has enabled classical turbulence-mitigation schemes in free-space optical channels, where a probe beam acquires a distorted wavefront that is deterministically conjugated in a nonlinear crystal and corrected upon reverse propagation. This thesis examines whether the same mechanism can be extended to the single-photon regime. The analysis begins by reviewing the spatial-mode structure of classical StimPDC using a Laguerre–Gaussian description of the nonlinear interaction. The turbulence-mitigation protocol is then summarized to clarify why high-fidelity phase conjugation is central to its operation. The main theoretical development introduces the single-photon–seeded version of the process, referred to as SPS-PDC. Using the full biphoton amplitude of SPS-PDC, the idler mean photon number is derived and shown to contain coherent spontaneous and stimulated contributions of comparable magnitude when only one photon occupies the seeded mode. Because the stimulated term no longer overwhelms the spontaneous background, the generated idler does not reproduce a unique conjugated wavefront. This result identifies a fundamental limit: perfect phase conjugation cannot be achieved with a single-photon seed in a second-order nonlinear interaction of this type. The implications of this scaling behaviour are examined in the context of turbulence mitigation and quantum key distribution. Although a single-photon version of the classical protocol would offer intrinsic security, the absence of deterministic conjugation prevents reliable wavefront correction. The thesis concludes by outlining an experimental approach for resolving the joint spatial structure of the two idler photons produced in a cascaded parametric down-conversion process. Such measurements would directly test the predicted division between spontaneous and stimulated contributions and further clarify the boundary between classical and quantum phase-conjugation regimes.