We propose a method for reconstructing density matrices of single-photon OAM-polarization entangled states using a single intensity measurement, facilitated by coupling the state to higher-order OAM modes.
We have performed quantum-state tomography on several different single-photon entangled states, that is, states in which a single photon is shared between two possible paths. We begin by doing a tomographic reconstruction of density matrices in the subspace where a single photon is shared by two spatial modes. In this subspace we are able to create high-fidelity, path-entangled states. Also within this subspace we use the Akaike information criterion and Monte Carlo simulations to help us estimate the amount and source of state drift in our system. We find that the primary state drift is due to phase drifts and fluctuations on the order of $\ensuremath{\pi}/400$ in our experimental apparatus. We then use the single-photon subspace density matrices and further measurements to estimate density matrices in the larger space consisting of two modes containing up to one photon each. In this larger space we find that the concurrence of the density matrices is $C\ensuremath{\cong}0.08$ and is greater than 0 by at least 45 standard deviations, indicating that our states are indeed entangled.
Photonic quantum technologies utilize various degrees of freedom (DOFs) of light, such as polarization, frequency, and spatial modes, to encode quantum information. In the effort of further improving channel capacity of quantum communication, and for increasing the complexity of available quantum operations, high-dimensional and hyperentangled states are now gaining interest. However, efficiently measuring these high dimensional states is challenging due to the large number of measurements required for reconstructing the full density matrix via quantum state tomography (QST), and the fact that each measurement requires some modification in the experimental setup. Here, we propose a framework for reconstructing the density matrix of a single-photon hyperentangled across multiple DOFs using a single intensity-measurement obtainable from traditional cameras, and discuss extensions for multiphoton hyperentangled states. Our method hinges on the spatial DOF of the photon and uses it to encode the quantum information from the other DOFs. We numerically demonstrate this method for single-photon OAM-spin and OAM-frequency entangled states using an ideal coupler and a multimode fiber, to perform the information mixing and transfer the encoding to spatial information, where it is detected using a simple camera. This technique simplifies the experimental setup and reduces acquisition time compared to traditional QST-based methods. Moreover, it allows the recovery of DOFs that conventional cameras cannot detect, such as polarization, thus eliminating the need for projection measurements.
With recent advances in nanophotonics, metasurfaces based on nano-resonators have facilitated novel types of optical devices. In particular, the interplay between different degrees of freedom, involving polarization and spatial modes, boosted classical polarization measurements and imaging applications. However, the use of metasurfaces for measuring the quantum states of light remains largely unexplored. Conventionally, the task of quantum state tomography is realized with several bulk optical elements, which need to be reconfigured multiple times. Such setups can suffer from decoherence, and there is a fundamental and practical interest in developing integrated solutions for measurement of multi-photon quantum states. We present a new concept and the first experimental realization of all-dielectric metasurfaces with no tuneable elements for imaging-based reconstruction of the full quantum state of entangled photons. Most prominently, we implement multi-photon interferometric measurements on a sub-wavelength thin optical element, which delivers ultimate miniaturization and extremely high robustness. Specifically, we realize a highly transparent all-dielectric metasurface, which spatially splits different components of quantum-polarization states. Then, a simple one-shot measurement of correlations with polarization-insensitive on-off click detectors enables complete reconstruction of multi-photon density matrices with high precision. In our experiment, we prepare sets of polarization states and reconstruct their density matrices with a high fidelity of over 99% for single photon states and above 95% for two-photon states. Our work provides a fundamental advance in the imaging of quantum states, where multi-photon quantum interference takes place at sub-wavelength scale.