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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Exploring field correlation measurements on the electromagnetic ground state in non-local regime

Francesca Fabiana Settembrini, Alexa Herter, Ileana-Crsitina Benea-Chelmus, Frieder Lindel, Giacomo Scalari, Jérôme Faist

Published Jan 1, 2021• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In the terahertz range, electric field correlations on the electromagnetic ground state have been measured exploiting electrooptic sampling and femtosecond pulses. We investigate the dependence of these correlations on the probed space-time volume.
DOI
10.1364/cleo_at.2021.jtu3a.153

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The ground state of quantum systems is characterized by zero-point motion. This motion, in the form of vacuum fluctuations, is generally considered to be an elusive phenomenon that manifests itself only indirectly. Here, we report direct detection of the vacuum fluctuations of electromagnetic radiation in free space. The ground-state electric-field variance is inversely proportional to the four-dimensional space-time volume, which we sampled electro-optically with tightly focused laser pulses lasting a few femtoseconds. Subcycle temporal readout and nonlinear coupling far from resonance provide signals from purely virtual photons without amplification. Our findings enable an extreme time-domain approach to quantum physics, with nondestructive access to the quantum state of light. Operating at multiterahertz frequencies, such techniques might also allow time-resolved studies of intrinsic fluctuations of elementary excitations in condensed matter.
In recent years, electro-optic sampling, which is based on Pockel's effect between an electromagnetic mode and a copropagating, phase-matched ultrashort probe, has been largely used for the investigation of broadband quantum states of light, especially in the mid-infrared and terahertz frequency range. The use of two mutually delayed femtosecond pulses at near-infrared frequencies allows the measurement of quantum electromagnetic radiation in different space-time points. Their correlation allows therefore direct access to the spectral content of a broadband quantum state at terahertz frequencies after Fourier transformation. In this work, we will prove experimentally and theoretically that when using strongly focused coherent ultrashort probes, the electro-optic sampling technique can be affected by the presence of a third-order nonlinear mixing of the probes' electric field at near-infrared frequencies. Moreover, we will show that these third-order nonlinear phenomena can also influence correlation measurements of the quantum electromagnetic radiation. We will prove that the four-wave mixing of the coherent probes' electric field with their own electromagnetic vacuum at near-infrared frequencies results in the generation of a higher-order nonlinear correlation term. The latter will be characterized experimentally, proving its local nature requiring the physical overlap of the two probes. The parameters regime where higher order nonlinear correlation results predominant with respect to electro-optic correlation of terahertz radiation is provided.
Abstract In recent years, electro-optic sampling, which is based on Pockel’s effect between an electromagnetic mode and a copropagating, phase-matched ultrashort probe, has been largely used for the investigation of broadband quantum states of light, especially in the mid-infrared and terahertz frequency range. The use of two mutually delayed femtosecond pulses at near-infrared frequencies allows the measurement of quantum electromagnetic radiation in different space-time points. Their correlation allows therefore direct access to the spectral content of a broadband quantum state at terahertz frequencies after Fourier transformation. In this work, we will prove experimentally and theoretically that when using strongly focused coherent ultrashort probes, the electro-optic sampling technique can be affected by the presence of a third-order nonlinear mixing of the probes’ electric field at near-infrared frequencies. Moreover, we will show that these third-order nonlinear phenomena can also influence correlation measurements of the quantum electromagnetic radiation. We will prove that the four-wave mixing of the coherent probes’ electric field with their own electromagnetic vacuum at near-infrared frequencies results in the generation of a higher-order nonlinear correlation term. The latter will be characterized experimentally, proving its local nature requiring the physical overlap of the two probes. The parameters regime where higher order nonlinear correlation results predominant with respect to electro-optic correlation of terahertz radiation is provided.