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Physical Review A

Optimizing the multiphoton absorption properties of maximally path-entangled number states

William N. Plick, Christoph F. Wildfeuer, Petr M. Anisimov, Jonathan P. Dowling

Published Dec 9, 2009• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper we examine the $N$-photon absorption properties of maximally path-entangled number states ($N00N$ states). We consider two cases. The first involves the $N$-photon absorption properties of the ideal $N00N$ state, one that does not include spectral information. We study how the $N$-photon absorption probability of this state scales with $N$, confirming results presented by others in a previous paper by a different method. We compare this to the absorption probability of various other states. The second case is that of two-photon absorption for an $N=2$ $N00N$ state generated from a type-II spontaneous down-conversion event. In this situation we find that the absorption probability is both better than analogous coherent light (due to frequency entanglement) and highly dependent on the optical setup. We show that the poor production rates of quantum states of light may be partially mitigated by adjusting the spectral parameters to improve their two-photon absorption rates. This work has application to quantum imaging, particularly quantum lithography, where the $N$-photon absorbing process in the lithographic resist must be optimized for practical applications.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.80.063825

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In this paper we examine the NNN-photon absorption properties of maximally path-entangled number states (N00NN00NN00N states). We consider two cases. The first involves the NNN-photon absorption properties of the ideal N00NN00NN00N state, one that does not include spectral information. We study how the NNN-photon absorption probability of this state scales with NNN, confirming results presented by others in a previous paper by a different method. We compare this to the absorption probability of various other states. The second case is that of two-photon absorption for an N=2N=2N=2 N00NN00NN00N state generated from a type-II spontaneous down-conversion event. In this situation we find that the absorption probability is both better than analogous coherent light (due to frequency entanglement) and highly dependent on the optical setup. We show that the poor production rates of quantum states of light may be partially mitigated by adjusting the spectral parameters to improve their two-photon absorption rates. This work has application to quantum imaging, particularly quantum lithography, where the NNN-photon absorbing process in the lithographic resist must be optimized for practical applications.
In this paper we examine the N-photon absorption properties of "N00N" states, a subclass of path entangled number states. We consider two cases. The first involves the N-photon absorption properties of the ideal N00N state, one that does not include spectral information. We study how the N-photon absorption probability of this state scales with N. We compare this to the absorption probability of various other states. The second case is that of two-photon absorption for an N = 2 N00N state generated from a type II spontaneous down conversion event. In this situation we find that the absorption probability is both better than analogous coherent light (due to frequency entanglement) and highly dependent on the optical setup. We show that the poor production rates of quantum states of light may be partially mitigated by adjusting the spectral parameters to improve their two-photon absorption rates. This work has application to quantum imaging, particularly quantum lithography, where the N-photon absorbing process in the lithographic resist must be optimized for practical applications.
In this paper, we propose two protocols for generating super-resolving single-photon (SRSP) number-path-entangled states from general maximally number-path-entangled NOON states. It is our purpose to show that, contrary to popular belief, a field in a single-photon state can carry multifold phase information. We also show that both protocols generate the desired state with different probabilities depending on the type of detectors being used. Such SRSP number-path-entangled states preserve high resolving power but lack the requirement of a multiphoton absorbing resist, which may serve as a proof-of-principle prototype for quantum lithography in the future.
Over a century after the modern prediction of the existence of individual particles of light by Albert Einstein, a reliable source of this simple quantum state of one photon does not exist. While common light sources such as a light bulb, LED, or laser can produce a pulse of light with an average of one photon, there is (currently) no way of knowing the number of photons in that pulse without first absorbing (and thereby destroying) them. Spontaneous parametric down-conversion, a process in which one high-energy photon splits into two lower-energy photons, allows us to prepare a single-photon state by detecting one of the photons, which then heralds the existence of its twin. This process has been the workhorse of quantum optics, allowing demonstrations of a myriad of quantum processes and protocols, such as entanglement, cryptography, superdense coding, teleportation, and simple quantum computing demonstrations. All of these processes would benefit from better engineering of the underlying down-conversion process, but despite significant effort (both theoretical and experimental), optimization of this process is ongoing. The focus of this work is to optimize certain aspects of a down-conversion source, and then use this tool in novel experiments not otherwise feasible. Specifically, the goal is to optimize the heralding efficiency of the down-conversion photons, i.e., the probability that if one photon is detected, the other photon is also detected. This source is then applied to two experiments (a single-photon source, and a quantum cryptography implementation), and the detailed theory of an additional application (a source of Fock states and path-entangled states, called N00N states) is discussed, along with some other possible applications.
Multiphoton absorption is of vital importance in many spectroscopic, microscopic, or lithographic applications. However, given that it is an inherently weak process, the detection of multiphoton absorption signals typically requires large field intensities, hindering its applicability in many practical situations. In this Letter, we show that placing a multiphoton absorbent inside an imbalanced nonlinear interferometer can enhance the precision of multiphoton cross section estimation with respect to strategies based on photon-number measurements using coherent or even squeezed light directly transmitted through the medium. In particular, the power scaling of the sensitivity with photon flux can be increased by 1 order compared with transmission measurements of the sample with coherent light, such that the measurement precision at any given intensity can be greatly enhanced. Furthermore, we show that this enhanced measurement precision is robust against experimental imperfections leading to photon losses, which usually tend to degrade the detection sensitivity. We trace the origin of this enhancement to an optimal degree of squeezing which has to be generated in a nonlinear SU(1,1) interferometer.
Multiphoton absorption processes have a nonlinear dependence on the amplitude of the incident optical field, i.e., the number of photons. However, multiphoton absorption is generally weak and multiphoton events occur with extremely low probability. Consequently, it is extremely challenging to engineer quantum nonlinear devices that operate at the single photon level and the majority of quantum technologies have to rely on single photon interactions. Here we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that exploiting coherent absorption of N=2N=2N=2 NOON states makes it possible to enhance the number of two-photon states that are absorbed by at most a factor of 2 with respect to a linear absorption process. An absorbing metasurface placed inside a Sagnac-style interferometer into which we inject an N=2N=2N=2 NOON state, exhibits two-photon absorption with 40.540.5%40.5 efficiency, close to the theoretical maximum. This high probability of simultaneous absorption of two photons holds the promise for applications in fields that require multiphoton upconversion but are hindered by high peak intensities.