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arXiv:quant-ph/0104084 · Optics Letters

Ultrasensitive pulsed, balanced homodyne detector: application to time-domain quantum measurements

Hauke Hansen, Thomas Aichele, Christian Hettich, Peter Lodahl, Alexander I. Lvovsky, J. Mlynek, Stephan Schiller

Published Nov 1, 2001• 143 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A pulsed, balanced homodyne detector has been developed for precise measurement of the electric field quadratures of pulsed optical quantum states. A high level of common mode suppression (>85 dB) and low electronic noise (730 electrons per pulse) provide a signal-to-noise ratio of 14 dB for measurement of the quantum noise of individual pulses. Measurements at repetition rates as high as 1 MHz are possible. As a test, quantum tomography of the coherent state was performed, and the Wigner function and the density matrix were reconstructed with 99.5% fidelity. The detection system can be used for ultrarsensitive balanced detection in cw mode, e.g., for weak absorption measurements.

DOI
10.1364/ol.26.001714

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Low-noise, efficient, phase-sensitive time-domain optical detection is essential for foundational tests of quantum physics based on optical quantum states and the realization of numerous applications ranging from quantum key distribution to coherent classical telecommunications. Stability, bandwidth, efficiency, and signal-to-noise ratio are crucial performance parameters for effective detector operation. Here we present a high-bandwidth, low-noise, ultra-stable time-domain coherent measurement scheme based on balanced homodyne detection ideally suited to characterization of quantum and classical light fields in well-defined ultrashort optical pulse modes.
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We design and experimentally characterize a balanced homodyne detector optimized for high-repetition-rate (100 MHz) pulsed optical sources. Unlike conventional transimpedance-amplifier architectures, which suffer from nonlinearities and dynamic instabilities with ultrashort pulses, our approach allows to directly amplify the photocurrent extracted at the common photodiode node without feedback loops. A theoretical model describing the detector response, noise, and pulse-to-pulse correlations is developed, providing quantitative predictions for the signal variance, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and inter-pulse correlations. Implemented with two matched InGaAs photodiodes illuminated by a 1030 nm mode-locked laser at 100 MHz, the detector exhibits excellent linearity and shot-noise-limited scaling of the signal variance with optical power. Optimizing the temporal integration window yields a maximum SNR of about 14 dB, while correlation measurements confirm negligible inter-pulse correlations. These results demonstrate that the proposed architecture offers a robust and simple solution for high-speed pulsed homodyne detection, suitable for quantum optics and continuous-variable quantum information applications.