Spectral phase conjugation by quasi-phase-matched three-wave mixing

Henk F. Arnoldus, Thomas F. George

Mankei Tsang, Demetri Psaltis

Spontaneous parametric processes pumped transversely with short pulses are studied under a unified framework, which proves that such processes can efficiently generate entangled photon pairs with time anticorrelation and frequency correlation. Improvements upon previously proposed schemes can be made by the use of quasi-phase-matching, four-wave mixing, and cross-phase-modulation compensation. The use of frequency-correlated photons in the Hung-Ou-Mandel interferometer is studied.

R. W. Hellwarth

Mankei Tsang

It is shown that the copropagating three-wave-mixing parametric process, with appropriate type-II extended phase matching and pumped with a short second-harmonic pulse, can perform spectral phase conjugation and parametric amplification, which shows a threshold behavior analogous to backward-wave oscillation. The process is also analyzed in the Heisenberg picture, which predicts a spontaneous parametric downconversion rate in agreement with the experimental result reported by Kuzucu et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 083601 (2005)]. Applications in optical communications, signal processing, and quantum information processing can be envisaged.

Michail G. Galushkin, Sergei A. Dimakov, R. N. Onoshko +2 more

Walker D. Larson, Trevor L. Courtney, Christian K. Keyser

Spectrally pure photons heralded from unentangled photon pair sources are crucial for any quantum optical system reliant on the multiplexing of heralded photons from independent sources. Generation of unentangled photon pairs in gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers specifically remains an attractive architecture for integration into quantum-optical fiber networks. The dispersion design offered by selection of fiber microstructures and gas pressure allows considerable control over the group-velocity profile which dictates the wavelengths of photon pairs that can be generated without spectral entanglement. Here, we expand on this design flexibility, which has previously been implemented for four-wave mixing, by modeling the use of a static, periodically poled electric field to achieve an effective quasi-phase-matched three-wave mixing nonlinearity that creates spontaneous parametric downconversion. Electric-field-induced quasi-phase-matched spontaneous parametric downconversion enables control of phase matching conditions that is independent of the group velocity, allowing phase matching at arbitrary wavelengths without affecting the entanglement of photons at those wavelengths. This decoupling of entanglement engineering and phase matching facilitates spectrally pure photon pair generation with efficiency and wavelength-tunability that is otherwise unprecedented.