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Physical Review Applied

Stimulated Parametric Down-Conversion with Vector Vortex Beams

Nara Rubiano da Silva, André Gonçalves de Oliveira, M. F. Z. Arruda, R. Medeiros de Araújo, Willamys C. Soares, Stephen Patrick Walborn, Rafael M. Gomes, P. H. Souto Ribeiro

Published Feb 17, 2021• 18 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A vector vortex beam presents local polarization states that are spatially modulated in the plane transverse to propagation. By employing a two-crystal-sandwich source allowing for nonlinear interactions between input fields of any polarization, we analyze experimentally the process of stimulated parametric down-conversion and observe unique effects when the pump and seed fields are vector vortex beams. We reconstruct the transverse polarization pattern of the generated idler beam by Stokes polarimetry. The experimental results obtained are in good qualitative agreement with theory and exhibit manifold polarization transverse distributions for different combinations of pump and seed vector vortex beams, which may find applications in both classical and quantum optics.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.15.024039

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A vector vortex beam presents local polarization states that are spatially modulated in the plane transverse to propagation. By employing a two-crystal-sandwich source allowing for nonlinear interactions between input fields of any polarization, we analyze experimentally the process of stimulated parametric down-conversion and observe unique effects when the pump and seed fields are vector vortex beams. We reconstruct the transverse polarization pattern of the generated idler beam by Stokes polarimetry. The experimental results obtained are in good qualitative agreement with theory and exhibit manifold polarization transverse distributions for different combinations of pump and seed vector vortex beams, which may find applications in both classical and quantum optics.
We present a quantum-optics approach for describing stimulated parametric down-conversion in the two-type-I crystal ``sandwich'' configuration, which allows for parametric interaction of vector vortex beams. We analyze the conditions for which phase conjugation of the seed vector beam occurs. We then use two strategies for defining generalized Stokes parameters to describe phase conjugation of vector vortex beams. These allow for geometrical representations, such as higher-order Poincar\'e spheres. Our results are useful for the description and design of stimulated and spontaneous parametric down-conversion experiments with vector vortex beams.
Stimulated parametric down-conversion (StimPDC) is the seeded version of the process that underlies much of photonic quantum information. Replacing the vacuum at one input port with a coherent seed leaves the interaction Hamiltonian, the phase-matching function and the two-photon amplitude unchanged, while raising the output to levels accessible with ordinary classical detectors. This review treats the transverse spatial physics of that process. We show that a single relation, in which the idler amplitude is the pointwise product of the pump field with the complex conjugate of the seed, organizes results usually presented separately: the image and coherence transfer experiments of the 1990s; phase conjugation and its use for wavefront correction; the conservation and conjugation of orbital angular momentum, together with the generation of radial modes and geometric intensity patterns; and the processing of vector vortex beams carrying spatially varying polarization. We then consider StimPDC as an instrument rather than as an object of study, covering stimulated emission tomography, the experimental realization of Klyshko's advanced-wave picture, and the transfer of partial coherence, including the conservation of the twist phase of twisted Gaussian Schell-model beams. We close with the quantum regime, reached when the seed approaches the single-photon level or the idler is used as a herald, and with an assessment of open problems and prospective applications.
In parametric down-conversion, a nonlinear crystal is pumped by a laser and spontaneous emission takes place in signal and idler modes according to the phase-matching conditions. A seed laser can stimulate the emission in the signal beam if there is mode overlap between them. This also enhances the emission in the idler beam, affecting its coherence properties. While the degree of coherence of the idler field as a function of the seed power has already been studied, the transverse coherence length has not yet been properly investigated. The transverse coherence length is a key parameter of optical beams that determines the beam divergence, for example. Here, we present a theoretical and experimental investigation of the transverse coherence length in stimulated down-conversion. In addition, we make a connection between stimulated down-conversion and partially coherent sources like the Gaussian-Schell model beams, and show that in general the idler field cannot be described with this model.
We develop the formal approach to the angular spectrum transfer in parametric down-conversion that allows pumping with a structured beam. The scheme is based on an entangled photon source pumped by a laser beam structured with a vector-vortex polarization profile. This creates a two-photon quantum state exhibiting polarization-dependent transverse correlations that can be accessed through coincidence measurements on the spatially separated photons. The calculated correlations are shown to present a spin-orbit profile typical of vector beams, however, distributed on separate measurement regions. Our approach allows the design of the pump beam vector spatial structure and measurement strategies for potential applications of these entangled states, such as in quantum communication.
We re-examine the properties of the states produced by nondegenerate coherently stimulated parametric down-conversion wherein the signal and idler modes are seeded with coherent states of light and where the nonlinear crystal is driven by a strong classical field as described by the parametric approximation. The states produced are the two-mode squeezed coherent states defined with a specific ordering of operators, namely, the displacement operators of the two modes acting on the double vacuum state followed by the action of the two-mode squeeze operator representing the down-conversion process. Though mathematically equivalent to the reverse ordering of operators, but with different displacement parameters, the ordering we consider is closely related to what could most easily be implemented in the laboratory. The statistical properties of the state are studied with an emphasis on how they, and its average photon number, are affected by the various controllable phases, namely, those of the classical pump field of the two input coherent states. We then consider the multiphoton interference effects that arise if the two beams are overlapped on a 50:50 beam splitter, investigating the role of the phases in controlling the statistical properties of the output states. Finally, we study the prospects for the application of the states to quantum-optical interferometry to obtain sensitivities in phase-shift measurements beyond the standard quantum limit.
Vector beams (VBs) with potential applications are successfully utilized in many fields as light sources with a spatially-varying polarization profile in recent years. Here, we study the transmission of a VB by manipulating atomic polarization via the optical pumping effect. By using hybridly and radially polarized beams as pump and probe beams in a counter-propagating configuration, we observe a four-petal pattern intensity distribution of probe beam, and the four-petal pattern rotates with the polarization state orientation of the pump beam. The results show a polarization dependent absorption in the atomic media. We experimentally demonstrate the absorption characteristics under different polarization combinations of pump and probe beams. The Jones matrix method is used to explain this phenomenon and the simulations are consistent with the experimental observation. Our results may provide a sound foundation for applications in optical manipulation and quantum information in atomic ensembles.