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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)

Generation and characterization of multimode quantum frequency combs

R. Medeiros de Araújo, Olivier Pinel, Pu Jian, Jing Feng, Bénoît Chalopin, Claude Fabre, Nicolas Treps

Published May 1, 2011• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Multimode nonclassical states of light are an essential resource in quantum computation with continuous variables [1]. They can be generated either by mixing different squeezed light sources using linear optical operations [2], or directly in a multimode optical device [3, 4]. Synchronously Pumped Optical Parametric Oscillators (SPOPO) — which correspond to an OPO pumped by a train of ultrashort pulses that are synchronized with the cavity round-trip time — have been theoretically shown to be promising devices for the generation of multimode nonclassical frequency combs, since a SPOPO is a sole optical cavity acting as an assembly of independent squeezers in a particular basis called the supermodes basis [5]. The supermodes are optical frequency combs with specific spectrum and phase profiles that are determined by the length of the intracavity nonlinear crystal and the pulse shape of the pump.

DOI
10.1109/cleoe.2011.5943361

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Multimode nonclassical states of light are an essential resource in quantum computation with continuous variables [1]. They can be generated either by mixing different squeezed light sources using linear optical operations [2], or directly in a multimode optical device [3, 4]. Synchronously Pumped Optical Parametric Oscillators (SPOPO) — which correspond to an OPO pumped by a train of ultrashort pulses that are synchronized with the cavity round-trip time — have been theoretically shown to be promising devices for the generation of multimode nonclassical frequency combs, since a SPOPO is a sole optical cavity acting as an assembly of independent squeezers in a particular basis called the supermodes basis [5]. The supermodes are optical frequency combs with specific spectrum and phase profiles that are determined by the length of the intracavity nonlinear crystal and the pulse shape of the pump.
Multimode nonclassical states of light are an essential resource in quantum computation with continuous variables, for example, in cluster state computation. We report in this Letter the first experimental evidence of a multimode nonclassical frequency comb in a femtosecond synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator. In addition to a global reduction of its quantum intensity fluctuations, the system features quantum correlations between different parts of its frequency spectrum. This allows us to show that the frequency comb is composed of several uncorrelated eigenmodes having specific spectral shapes, two of them at least being squeezed, and to characterize their spectral shapes.
Multimode squeezed light is a key resource for quantum technologies, enabling applications in boson sampling, quantum networks, and optical quantum computation [1],[2]. Parametric down-conversion in synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillators (SPOPOs) offers a versatile platform for generating multimode squeezed states across the time-frequency domain. In these systems, supermodes manifest as independent quantum states in the temporal domain and as frequency combs in the spectral domain [3]. Precise control of these states is crucial for quantum applications and requires an experimental setup capable of fine-tuning multiple parameters to optimize squeezing properties. In this work, we present an experimental setup for generating and characterizing multimode vacuum squeezed states using a SPOPO and a balanced homodyne detection scheme. Two spatial light modulators (SLMs) placed on the pump and local oscillator (LO) beams provide full control over their spectral properties, including amplitude and phase shaping. This flexibility allows us to optimize the experimental conditions and investigate squeezing dependence on key parameters such as the LO spectral detuning and bandwidth. By introducing a programmableπ\piπ-phase shift to the LO via the SLM, we selectively probe the multimode structure, distinguishing between even and odd supermodes. Additionally, the SLM on the pump can introduce an arbitrary chirp, further enhancing control over the system. Our setup, schematized in Figure 1a, is based on a commercial mode-locked Yb-fiber laser operating at 93MHz, emitting pulses centered at 1035nm with a 10nm bandwidth. A portion of the radiation is frequency-doubled to 517.5nm via an LBO crystal to serve as the pump for the SPOPO, while the remaining part is used as the LO for homodyne detection after transmission through the SPOPO cavity, ensuring high beam quality. The SPOPO cavity is frequency-locked to the laser via a Pound-Drever-Hall technique, ensuring stable and optimized operation. Figure 1b presents representative measurements of squeezing levels as a function of the LO spectral bandwidth, showing how its symmetric or antisymmetric phase influences the detection of different supermodes and, consequently, the squeezing level depending on their structure. The measurements were performed using lithium niobate (LNB) nonlinear crystals of 3.0mm and 1.5mm lengths. Our setup allows for future investigations of dispersion effects on squeezing, thus far only theoretically predicted [4], by introducing chirped mirrors for dispersion compensation. Moreover, different nonlinear crystals, such as lithium niobate, beta barium borate (BBO), and lithium triborate (LBO) of various lengths, will be tested to explore the multimode properties of the squeezed states. These investigations will provide insights into the experimental conditions required to achieve single-mode squeezing, crucial for applications such as Gaussian Boson Sampling, with results to be presented at the conference.
Entanglement among multiple modes is a necessary resource in the field of quantum information technology. In this context, frequency comb sources of femtosecond pulsed light represent a useful resource, with approximately 10^5 individual frequency modes across the pulse bandwidth and it has been recently shown that a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) can generate highly multimode nonclassical states of light. A high degree of control over the mode structure of the output can thus be achieved by shaping the spectral mode of the pump beam using a pulse shaper. The SPOPO setup is also a promising platform for the simulation of quantum optical networks. Energy exchanges have been characterized for several models of networks via the measurement of the spectral density function and the observation of quantum non-Markovian behavior.
Synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillators (SPOPOs) are optical cavities driven by mode-locked lasers, and containing a nonlinear crystal capable of down-converting a frequency comb to lower frequencies. SPOPOs have received a lot of attention lately because their intrinsic multimode nature makes them compact sources of quantum correlated light with promising applications in modern quantum information technologies. In this work we show that SPOPOs are also capable of accessing the challenging and interesting regime where spontaneous symmetry breaking confers strong nonclassical properties to the emitted light, which has eluded experimental observation so far. Apart from opening the possibility of studying experimentally this elusive regime of dissipative phase transitions, our predictions will have a practical impact, since we show that spontaneous symmetry breaking provides a specific spatiotemporal mode with large quadrature squeezing for any value of the system parameters, turning SPOPOs into robust sources of highly nonclassical light above threshold.
We present in this paper a general model for determining the quantum properties of the light generated by a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) operating below threshold. This model considers time and frequency on an equal footing, which allows us to find new quantum properties, related for example to the carrier envelope offset (CEO) phase, and to consider situations that are close to real experiments. We show that, in addition to multimode squeezing in the so-called ‘supermodes’, the system exhibits quadrature entanglement between frequency combs of opposite CEO phases. We have also determined the quantum properties of the individual pulses and their quantum correlations with the neighboring pulses. Finally, we determine the quantum Cramer–Rao limit for an ultra-short time delay measurement using a given number of pulses generated by the SPOPO.