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Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium

Programmable quantum interference in complex optical networks realized in opaque scattering media

Ravitej Uppu, Tom A. W. Wolterink, Georgios Ctistis, Willem L. Vos, Klaus J. Boller, Pepijn W. H. Pinkse

Published Aug 1, 2016• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Light transport in opaque scattering media mixes the light across the large number of modes in the system. The mixing results in the scrambling of information encoded on the incident light, which is generally detrimental. However, the multimodal transport hints at the possibility of utilizing them as complex optical networks if the transport could be controlled. In recent years, wavefront shaping through adaptive phase control has been used to create multiport optical devices in opaque scattering media. We study the programmability of one such device created in opaque scattering medium, a two-port beam splitter which is a primitive for any complex linear optical network. Here, I will discuss our latest results on the quantum interference between single photons from an ultrabright quantum source at the two-port beam splitter. The novel feature of the realized beam splitter is the programmability of quantum interference between single photons, creating either bunched or anti-bunched light at the outputs. Our demonstration is a first step towards realizing complex optical networks with programmable quantum correlations using opaque scattering media.

DOI
10.1109/piers.2016.7734290

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Light transport in opaque scattering media mixes the light across the large number of modes in the system. The mixing results in the scrambling of information encoded on the incident light, which is generally detrimental. However, the multimodal transport hints at the possibility of utilizing them as complex optical networks if the transport could be controlled. In recent years, wavefront shaping through adaptive phase control has been used to create multiport optical devices in opaque scattering media. We study the programmability of one such device created in opaque scattering medium, a two-port beam splitter which is a primitive for any complex linear optical network. Here, I will discuss our latest results on the quantum interference between single photons from an ultrabright quantum source at the two-port beam splitter. The novel feature of the realized beam splitter is the programmability of quantum interference between single photons, creating either bunched or anti-bunched light at the outputs. Our demonstration is a first step towards realizing complex optical networks with programmable quantum correlations using opaque scattering media.
Multiphoton quantum correlations are crucial for quantum information processing and quantum communication protocols in linear optical networks. For large-scale implementation of quantum information processing, such as quantum simulators, boson sampling or programmable quantum logic gates, a programmable functionality of a large multichannel network is required. In this thesis, we describe and demonstrate programmable quantum interference between multiple single-photon states in massively multichannel networks. Using a theoretical analysis we first show that losses in optical networks, which are unavoidable in experiments, introduce new freedom, in that the functionality of the network, and thus also quantum interference in there, is programmable to an extent not possible with lossless networks. We introduce a method to program the functionality of general multichannel linear optical networks by phase modulation of incident wavefronts, which we apply to opaque scattering media as well as integrated optics. To demonstrate quantum interference in massively multichannel networks we require a source of multiple indistinguishable single-photon states. Therefore, we have constructed and characterized a versatile quantum light source based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion. For the first time, we demonstrate two-photon quantum interference in a massively multichannel linear optical network realized in an opaque scattering medium. Using adaptive phase-modulation of the incident photons, the scattering medium is transformed to behave as a fully programmable beam splitter that is freely tunable in functionality. Exploiting this freedom, we not only show the well-known Hong-Ou-Mandel bunching of photons, but also demonstrate that this bunching can be made to vanish, or be transformed into antibunching. Our results establish opaque scattering media as a platform for massively multichannel linear optical networks with programmable quantum correlations. Finally, the high number of available channels offered by opaque scattering media can directly be employed for authentication of secure communication. We present an authenticated protocol for quantum key distribution that removes the need of an initial shared secret for authentication. Moreover, we introduce and demonstrate the first protocol for authenticated and asymmetric quantum communication, based on the quantum-secure readout of a physical unclonable function.
We investigate two-photon quantum interference in an opaque scattering medium that intrinsically supports a large number of transmission channels. By adaptive spatial phase modulation of the incident wave fronts, the photons are directed at targeted speckle spots or output channels. From 103{10}^{3}103 experimentally available coupled channels, we select two channels and enhance their transmission to realize the equivalent of a fully programmable $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2$ beam splitter. By sending pairs of single photons from a parametric down-conversion source through the opaque scattering medium, we observe two-photon quantum interference. The programed beam splitter need not fulfill energy conservation over the two selected output channels and hence could be nonunitary. Consequently, we have the freedom to tune the quantum interference from bunching (Hong-Ou-Mandel-like) to antibunching. Our results establish opaque scattering media as a platform for high-dimensional quantum interference that is notably relevant for boson sampling and physical-key-based authentication.
Wavefront shaping allows for ultimate control of light propagation in multiple-scattering media by adaptive manipulation of incident waves. We have demonstrated a method to program general multiport linear optical circuits in multiple-scattering materials by phase modulation of incident wavefronts. Applying this method to quantum light makes it possible to use these optical circuits for adaptive quantum optical experiments, with high flexibility in the control of quantum interference between multiple optical modes. To this end we have constructed a bright single-photon source, producing heralded single-photon states with a measured production rate of > 106 s−1. We have demonstrated that we are able to control the propagation of these single-photon states in random-scattering media, and we are currently investigating Hong-Ou-Mandel interference in these circuits.
Summary form only given. Quantum optics experiments require ultimate control over the propagation of light in linear optical networks to realize programmable photon correlations [1]. Integrated optics provides a robust and low-loss platform for implementing such linear optical networks. However, to achieve ultimate control on the quantum state of light, it is necessary to program the network [2]. Tuning the network for controlled multiphoton correlations involves optimization algorithms which scale inefficiently with the network size and photon number. Therefore, it is challenging to scale up this approach to massively multichannel networks, which are required for large-scale implementations of quantum information processing and quantum communication.Here, we propose a novel method to achieve ultimate control on quantum light propagation through the adaptive control of phases at input channels of a massively multichannel network. We utilize an on-chip array of 3300 nearest-neighbor coupled silicon nitride waveguides as the network. We employ complex wavefront shaping methods, which enabled the creation of programmable linear optical networks in opaque scattering media [3,4], to realize a network with programmable quantum correlations in a fixed network [5]. Using a high brightness photon-pair source, we demonstrate programmable Hong-Ou-Mandel-like bunching or antibunching of photons in a fully tunable multichannel network as predicted by our theoretical work [6]. These results enable programmable photon correlations on fixed massively multichannel optical networks with the potential for large-scale implementation of quantum simulators and quantum logic gates. We will report on the progress of this project.
We theoretically investigate quantum interference of two single photons at a lossy asymmetric beam splitter, the most general passive 2×2 optical circuit. The losses in the circuit result in a non-unitary scattering matrix with a non-trivial set of constraints on the elements of the scattering matrix. Our analysis using the noise operator formalism shows that the loss allows tunability of quantum interference to an extent not possible with a lossless beam splitter. Our theoretical studies support the experimental demonstrations of programmable quantum interference in highly multimodal systems such as opaque scattering media and multimode fibers.
Multiple-scattering has become an exciting platform for quantum optical experiments [1-5]. In wavefront shaping one uses spatial light modulation in combination with strongly scattering materials to achieve control over light in space and time [6]. Recent wavefront-shaping experiments have transformed opaque media in equivalents of waveguides, lenses, waveplates and optical pulse compressors that are inherently robust against disorder and imaging errors. In quantum optics, interference of quantum states is studied in often complicated optical circuits. This requires a close-to-perfect implementation of the setup and provides little flexibility or programmability of the interference. We implement the radically different approach to apply wavefront shaping on quantum light to obtain ample flexibility in optimization and manipulation of the quantum interference. This offers unique opportunities for sample characterization, quantum patterning, secure key generation, or quantum transport through disordered media.