IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement
Two-Photon Mode Preparation and Matching Efficiency: Definition, Measurement, and Optimization
Stefania Castelletto, Ivo Pietro Degiovanni, G. Furno, Valentina Schettini, Alan L. Migdall, Michael J. Ware
Abstract
We investigate the coupling efficiency of parametric downconversion light (PDC) into single and multimode optical fibers as a function of the pump beam diameter, crystal length, and walk-off. We outline two different theoretical models for the preparation and collection of either single-mode or multimode PDC light (defined by, for instance, multimode fibers or apertures). Moreover, we define the mode-matching collection efficiency, important for realizing a single-photon source based on PDC output into a well-defined single mode. We also define a multimode collection efficiency that is useful for single-photon detector calibration applications.