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IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics

Second-Order Interference Effect of Polarized Light Based on Two-Photon Absorption Detection

Wenxuan Hao, Huaibin Zheng, Bin Li, Yu Zhou, Jianbin Liu, Hui Chen, Yuchen He, Yanyan Liu, Zhuo Xu

Published Feb 24, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The two-photon interference effect of polarized light holds significant research importance in quantum optics. Different types of polarized light exhibit distinct interference behaviors, making the systematic study of these behaviors crucial. This paper introduces the concept of the polarization two-photon coherence matrix and provides a theoretical explanation for the differences in two-photon interference phenomena among linear, circular, and elliptically polarized light. Using a polarization Michelson interferometer based on two-photon absorption detection, second-order interference images of circularly polarized and elliptically polarized light were experimentally captured. The differences in these two-photon interference phenomena can be elucidated by visualizing the polarization coherence matrix. Furthermore, this theory was applied to the study of sub-wavelength interference phenomena of circularly polarized light, confirming the universality of the theoretical model and offering new perspectives and tools for the study of quantum optics.

DOI
10.1109/jstqe.2025.3545414

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It has been shown that the femtosecond laser polarization modulation is a very simple and well-established method to control the multi-photon absorption process by the light–matter interaction. Previous studies mainly focused on the multi-photon absorption control in the weak field. In this paper, we further explore the polarization control behavior of multi-photon absorption process in the intermediate femtosecond laser field. In the weak femtosecond laser field, the second-order perturbation theory can well describe the non-resonant two-photon absorption process. However, the higher order nonlinear effect (e.g., four-photon absorption) can occur in the intermediate femtosecond laser field, and thus it is necessary to establish new theoretical model to describe the multi-photon absorption process, which includes the two-photon and four-photon transitions. Here, we construct a fourth-order perturbation theory to study the polarization control behavior of this multi-photon absorption under the intermediate femtosecond laser field excitation, and our theoretical results show that the two-photon and four-photon excitation pathways can induce a coherent interference, while the coherent interference is constructive or destructive that depends on the femtosecond laser center frequency. Moreover, the two-photon and four-photon transitions have the different polarization control efficiency, and the four-photon absorption can obtain the higher polarization control efficiency. Thus, the polarization control efficiency of the whole excitation process can be increased or decreased by properly designing the femtosecond laser field intensity and laser center frequency. These studies can provide a clear physical picture for understanding and controlling the multi-photon absorption process in the intermediate femtosecond laser field, and also can provide a theoretical guidance for the future experimental realization.