We present results on the use of spectrally-resolved Hong-Ou-Mandel interference for use in precision spectroscopy. Our scheme allows for simultaneous measurement of a sample’s absorption and phase spectra while reducing the effects of shot noise.
Get PDF Email Share Share with Facebook Tweet This Post on reddit Share with LinkedIn Add to CiteULike Add to Mendeley Add to BibSonomy Get Citation Copy Citation Text V. Thiel, A. O. C. Davis, K. Sun, P. D'Ornellas, X. Jin, and B. J. Smith, "Single-photon characterization by spectrally-resolved Hong-Ou-Mandel interference," in Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics (CQO-11), OSA Technical Digest (Optica Publishing Group, 2019), paper M5A.21. Export Citation BibTex Endnote (RIS) HTML Plain Text Citation alert Save article
The Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer is a versatile tool for analyzing the joint properties of photon pairs, relying on a truly quantum interference effect between two-photon probability amplitudes. While the theory behind this form of two-photon interferometry is well established, the development of advanced photon sources and exotic two-photon states has highlighted the importance of quantifying precisely what information can and cannot be inferred from features in a Hong-Ou-Mandel interference trace. Here we examine Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with regard to a particular class of states, so-called quantum frequency combs, and place special emphasis on the role spectral phase plays in these measurements. We find that this form of two-photon interferometry is insensitive to the relative phase between different comb line pairs. This is true even when different comb line pairs are mutually coherent at the input of a Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometer and the fringe patterns display sharp temporal features. Consequently, Hong-Ou-Mandel interference cannot speak to the presence of high-dimensional frequency-bin entanglement in two-photon quantum frequency combs.