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QUANTUM LIMIT MEASUREMENT OF OPTICAL INTERFEROMETER IN AN UNDERGRADUATE LABORATORY

Xin Chen, Jiatong Jiang, Shuqi Liu, Yu Chen, Yuan WU, Lu CUI, Yaling YIN, Liqing Chen

Published Dec 1, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical interferometry is a well-known valuable tool for estimating an unknown parameter. However, the fluctuation of vacuum limits the sensitivity of optical interferometry. In order to obtain better sensitivity, the performance of the optical interferometry, such as signal to noise ratio and the minimum detectable value, need to be analyzed. However, in the undergraduate laboratory, almost of the experiments of the optical interferometry focus on interference principle but lack the performance analysis. In this paper, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is employed for the evaluating the performance of optical interferometry in an undergraduate laboratory. The evaluation method is illustrated theoretically and experimentally. Based on experiment, we can extend classical optical experiment to quantum optics experiment, which appropriate for advanced undergraduate students with former experience in quantum optics.

DOI
10.26599/phys.2022.9320623

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Optical interferometry is a well-known valuable tool for estimating an unknown parameter. However, the fluctuation of vacuum limits the sensitivity of optical interferometry. In order to obtain better sensitivity, the performance of the optical interferometry, such as signal to noise ratio and the minimum detectable value, need to be analyzed. However, in the undergraduate laboratory, almost of the experiments of the optical interferometry focus on interference principle but lack the performance analysis. In this paper, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is employed for the evaluating the performance of optical interferometry in an undergraduate laboratory. The evaluation method is illustrated theoretically and experimentally. Based on experiment, we can extend classical optical experiment to quantum optics experiment, which appropriate for advanced undergraduate students with former experience in quantum optics.
We have developed a which-way experiment using visible light that is completely analogous to a recent experiment involving which-way measurement in atom interference. This simple experiment, easily accessible to undergraduate students and the resources of undergraduate departments, facilitates the examination of the key elements of which-way measurement, quantum erasure, and related mysteries of quantum measurement. The experiment utilizes a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, and visually demonstrates the loss of interference fringes when a which-way measurement is imposed, and the restoration of that pattern when the which-way information is destroyed. This device is also sensitive enough to observe interference fringes arising from single photons. We present a simple analysis of the interference appropriate for the coherent classical field limit and the single photon limit at a level accessible to undergraduates. We also briefly mention related issues on the nature of the photon.
This article explores the use of interferometry experiments, focusing on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, as a didactic tool for teaching fundamental concepts of quantum physics, such as wave-particle duality, superposition, and interference. Using the interactive simulation “Interferometer experiments with photons, particles and waves” from the University of St Andrews, we demonstrate how different models – classical particles, electromagnetic waves, and single photons – can be applied to describe the observed phenomena, facilitating the understanding of the distinctions between the classical and quantum views of nature. The comparative analysis of the simulated experimental results serves as a basis for in-depth conceptual discussions in the classroom, making quantum physics more accessible and intuitive for high school and university students.
The precise estimation of the gravitational acceleration is important for various disciplines. We consider making such an estimation using quantum optics. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer in an ``optical fountain'' type arrangement is considered and used to define a standard quantum limit for estimating the gravitational acceleration. We use an approach based on quantum field theory on a curved, Schwarzschild metric background to calculate the coupling between the gravitational field and the optical signal. The analysis is extended to include the injection of a squeezed vacuum to the Mach-Zehnder arrangement and also to consider an active, two-mode SU(1,1) interferometer in a similar arrangement. When detection loss is larger than 88%8, the SU(1,1) interferometer shows an advantage over the MZ interferometer with single-mode squeezing input. The proposed system is based on current technology and could be used to examine the intersection of quantum theory and general relativity as well as for possible applications.
We investigate the phase sensitivity of a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) with an input of a non-Gaussian quantum entangled state, Two-Mode Photon-Subtracted Squeezed Vacuum states (TMPSSV). Parity detection is carried out at the output of the interferometer to obtain the phase uncertainty, which is a physical parameter that can quantify the sensitivity of interferometry. According to the simulation results, TMPSSV has a smaller phase uncertainty than the Two-Mode Squeezed Vacuum state (TMSV) in the entire range of the squeezing parameter which means the sensitivity of interferometry based on TMPSSV is higher than that of TMSV. Therefore, non-Gaussian entanglement based on TMPSSV provides a promising quantum resource for an ultra-sensitivity optical interferometer far beyond the standard quantum limit.
Optical quantum metrology uses specially-prepared states of light to probe sensitive samples. Choosing a suitable probe state allows one to extract more information per probe photon about an unknown parameter than is possible using any classical technique. In effect, these techniques improve the sensitivity of the measurement whenever the number of probe photons is constrained in some way. This thesis presents experimental and theoretical results on the use of pairs of time-frequency entangled photons in precision measurements. It begins with an overview of necessary background knowledge about quantum optics and quantum information. This is followed by a theoretical discussion on the estimation of a single delay using two-photon interference. We show that constraints on the probe photon's bandwidth complicate the measurement problem, requiring suitable optimization of the two-photon quantum state to avoid losing precision. We then consider the use of two-photon interference for linear spectroscopic measurements. Linear spectroscopy relates the absorption and phase spectrum of a sample to unknown electronic parameters. We describe a proof-of-principle experiment demonstrating that two-photon interferometric spectroscopy can be used for simultaneously measurement of both absorption and phase. This is followed by an information-theoretic discussion of the precision of this technique. For low losses, we show that the method provides phase sensitivity similar to classical interferometry while approaching the optimal absorption precision of any possible measurement. If the absorption and phase values are both related to a single unknown parameter, then our technique provides improved sensitivity to this parameter compared to both classical measurements and other quantum techniques in the presence of realistic levels of loss. We conclude with a discussion of quantum-optical coherence tomography, which is a two-photon interferometric method for determining the material structure of a sample. We present an ongoing experiment which aims to apply the method to tissue-like samples, where the quantum measurement is limited by a poor signal-to-noise ratio. Preliminary results demonstrate that this noise can be largely reduced by suitable frequency-domain filtering. This allows us to precisely determine the position of a scattering center using a few hundred detected photon pairs despite the presence of large amounts of noise. We follow this with a theoretical discussion of signal artifacts which are known to complicate the measured interferogram. We show these artifacts are due to a distinct interferometric effect, which can be distinguished from the signal of interest using the relative time delay between detected photons. We conclude with a brief discussion on possible techniques for artifact removal.
In this paper, we present a tutorial set-up based on an optical three-grating Mach–Zehnder interferometer. As this apparatus is very similar in its principle to the Mach–Zehnder interferometers used with matter waves (neutrons, atoms and molecules), it can be used to familiarize students with particle optics, and in our explanations, we use the complementary points of view of wave optics and particle optics. Finally, we have used this interferometer to measure the index of refraction of BK 7 glass for red light at 633 nm, with a technique equivalent to the one used to measure the index of refraction of solid matter for thermal neutrons. The dimensions of this interferometer and its cost make it very interesting for laboratory courses and the experiment described here can be reproduced by students.