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AVS Quantum Science

Hong–Ou–Mandel sensing via superradiant coupling of discrete fluorescent emitters

Roman Shugayev, Ping Lu, Yuhua Duan, Michael Buric

Published Jul 1, 2022• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) effect is a fascinating quantum phenomenon that defies classical explanation. Traditionally, remote nonlinear sources have been used to achieve coincident photons at the HOM beam splitter. Here, we suggest that the coincident emission source required for HOM interference can be created locally using superradiant near field coupled emitters positioned across the beam splitter gap. We show that sensitivity to permittivity changes in the beam splitter gap, and corresponding Fisher information can be substantially enhanced with HOM photon detection. Subsequently, we outline several strategies for integration of superradiant emitters with practical sensor systems. Taken together, these findings should pave a way for a wide array of near field HOM quantum sensors and novel quantum devices.

DOI
10.1116/5.0091206

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The Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) effect is a fascinating quantum phenomenon that defies classical explanation. Traditionally, remote nonlinear sources have been used to achieve coincident photons at the HOM beam splitter. Here, we suggest that the coincident emission source required for HOM interference can be created locally using superradiant near field coupled emitters positioned across the beam splitter gap. We show that sensitivity to permittivity changes in the beam splitter gap, and corresponding Fisher information can be substantially enhanced with HOM photon detection. Subsequently, we outline several strategies for integration of superradiant emitters with practical sensor systems. Taken together, these findings should pave a way for a wide array of near field HOM quantum sensors and novel quantum devices.
It is well known that the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) effect can be realized on beam splitters (BSs) in the form of coupled waveguides. It is believed that in this case, the theory is similar to HOM interference on conventional BSs. In this work, it is shown that if a BS is used in the form of a coupled waveguide, the theory of HOM interference can differ significantly from the known one. It is shown that even in the case of completely identical photons, the visibility of V can essentially differ from unity. The developed theory must be taken into account in quantum optical schemes, where BSs are represented mainly as coupled waveguides.
Two-photon interference effects arise because photons are indistinguishable particles. In the wellknown Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) effect, the transmission of two photons at a beam splitter interferes destructively with the reflection of both photons, requiring both photons to "bunch up" by leaving the beam splitter on the same side. Here, we show that the interference between locally propagating photons and photons exchanged by a mode swap can be implemented by post-selecting spatially separated photon outputs of a four-path interferometer. Even though the photons detected at spatially separated locations must have travelled along paths that never met up at the same beam splitter, the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect can be observed in correlations between the output ports that originate from the association of detection events with non-local output modes defined by the two single photon inputs. Local phase shifts can be used to map out non-classical correlations between the photons detected at different output locations, clarifying the role of linear optics in generating entanglement between spatially separated photons. Our work thus establishes a fundamental relation between multiphoton interference and entanglement, opening the door to new possibilities in optical quantum technologies.
Abstract We propose a quantum plasmonic sensor using Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) interferometry that measures the refractive index of an analyte, embedded in a plasmonic beam splitter composed of a dual-Kretschmann configuration, which serves as a frustrated total internal reflection beamsplitter (BS). The sensing performance of the HOM interferometry, combined with single-photon detectors, is evaluated through Fisher information for estimation of the refractive index of the analyte. This is subsequently compared with the classical benchmark that considers the injection of a coherent state of light into the plasmonic BS. By varying the wavelength of the single photons and the refractive index of the analyte, we identify a wide range where a 50% quantum enhancement is achieved and discuss the observed behaviors in comparison with the classical benchmark. We expect this study to provide a useful insight into the advancement of quantum-enhanced sensing technologies, with direct implications for a wide range of nanophotonic BS structures.
The Hong--Ou--Mandel (HOM) effect is a hallmark of two-photon quantum interference, in which two indistinguishable photons impinging on a balanced beam splitter bunch into the same output port. Here, we show that a giant atom (GA), coupled to two waveguides through two coupling points each, can function as a programmable HOM interferometer, enabling continuous control over single-photon beam splitting and two-photon interference. This programmability arises from coupling-phase differences in the GA, which tune its self-interference and directionality, and thereby its scattering response. To characterize the two-photon interference, we analyze the scattering of two Gaussian single-photon wave packets injected through different waveguides and evaluate the bunching and antibunching (coincidence) probabilities of the resulting four output ports. At the operating point where the GA acts as an effective 50:50 beam splitter for single photons, we observe a pronounced HOM dip as the relative input delay between the two wave packets is varied. Away from this point, adjusting the coupling phases continuously tunes the two-photon output statistics between bunching into the same output port and antibunching across distinct output ports. In addition, we explore an application to quantum parameter estimation, showing that small deviations of coupling phases can be estimated from the two-photon output statistics, with the achievable sensitivity quantified by the classical Fisher information associated with a binary coincidence measurement. Our giant-atom beam splitter thus provides a programmable platform for two-photon interference in waveguide quantum electrodynamics, with potential applications in quantum information processing, quantum communication, and quantum sensing.
The Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference is one of the most fundamental quantum-mechanical effects that reveal a nonclassical behavior of single photons. Two identical photons that are incident on the input ports of an unbiased beam splitter always exit the beam splitter together from the same output port, an effect referred to as photon bunching. In this Letter, we utilize a single electro-optic phase modulator as a probabilistic frequency beam splitter, which we exploit to observe HOM interference between two photons that are in different spectral modes, yet are identical in other characteristics. Our approach enables linear optical quantum information processing protocols using the frequency degree of freedom in photons such as quantum computing techniques with linear optics.
In the original formulation of the Hong–Ou–Mandel (HOM) experiment, when two otherwise indistinguishable photons are incident upon the two input ports of a balanced beam splitter, they coalesce, always leaving via the same output port. It is often interpreted that this interference arises due to the indistinguishability of the single photons at the beam splitter; the situation, however, is often more nuanced. Here, we demonstrate an analog of HOM interference between two photons of completely different color. To do so, we utilize a quantum frequency converter based on sum- and difference-frequency generation as an “active” beam splitter—coupling frequency-entangled red and telecom single photons with an octave-spanning energy difference of 282 THz. We achieve an uncorrected two-photon interference visibility beyond 90%. This work presents the first demonstration of HOM interference between two single photons of distinctly different color, deepening our understanding of what underlies quantum interference. It also suggests a novel approach to interfacing photonic qubits in heterogeneous quantum systems where frequency conversion and quantum interference are unified.