Mid-infrared microscopy via position correlations of undetected photons.

Quantum imaging with undetected photons (QIUP) has recently emerged as a new powerful imaging tool. Exploiting the spatial entanglement of photon pairs, it allows decoupling of the sensing and detection wavelengths, facilitating imaging in otherwise challenging spectral regions by leveraging mature silicon-based detection technology. All existing implementations of QIUP have so far utilised the momentum correlations within the biphoton states produced by spontaneous parametric downconversion. Here, for the first time, we implement and examine theoretically and numerically the complementary scenario - utilising the tight position correlations formed within photon pairs at birth. This image plane arrangement facilitates high resolution imaging with comparative experimental ease, and we experimentally show resolutions below 10 µm at a sensing wavelength of 3.7 µm. Moreover, we present a quantitative numerical model predicting the imaging capabilities of QIUP for a wide range of parameters. Finally, by imaging mouse heart tissue at the mid-IR to reveal morphological features on the cellular level, we further demonstrate the viability of this technique for the life sciences. These results offer new perspectives on the capabilities of QIUP for label-free widefield mid-IR microscopy, enabling real-world biomedical as well as industrial imaging applications.

Mid-IR spectroscopy with NIR grating spectrometers.

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy is a crucial workhorse for a plethora of analytical applications and is suitable for diverse materials, including gases, polymers or biological tissue. However, this technologically significant wavelength regime between 2.5-10 µm suffers from technical limitations primarily related to the large noise in mid-IR detectors and the complexity and cost of bright, broadband mid-IR light sources. Here, using highly non-degenerate, broadband photon pairs from bright spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in a nonlinear interferometer, we circumvent these limitations and realise spectroscopy in the mid-IR using only a visible (VIS) solid-state laser and an off-the-shelf, commercial near-infrared (NIR) grating spectrometer. With this proof-of-concept implementation, covering a broad range from 3.2 µm to 4.4 µm we demonstrate short integration times down to 1 s and signal-to-noise ratios above 200 at a spectral resolution from 12 cm-1 down to 1.5 cm-1 for longer integration times. Through the analysis of polymer samples and the ambient CO2 in our laboratory, we highlight the potential of this measurement technique for real-world applications.

Low random duty-cycle errors in periodically poled KTP revealed by sum-frequency generation.

Low-noise quantum frequency conversion in periodically poled nonlinear crystals has proved challenging when the pump wavelength is shorter than the target wavelength. This is-at least in large part-a consequence of the parasitic spontaneous parametric downconversion of pump photons, whose efficiency is increased by fabrication errors in the periodic poling. Here we characterize the poling quality of commercial periodically poled bulk potassium titanyl phosphate (ppKTP) by measuring the sum-frequency generation (SFG) efficiency over a large phase mismatch range from 0 to more than 400π. Over the probed range, the SFG efficiency behaves nearly ideally and drops to a normalized efficiency of 10-6. Our results demonstrate that any background pedestal that would be formed by random duty-cycle errors in ppKTP is substantially reduced when compared to periodically poled lithium niobate. The standard deviation of the random duty-cycle errors can be estimated to be smaller than 2% of the domain length. From this, we expect a noise spectral density that is at least 1 order of magnitude smaller than that of current state-of-the-art single-step frequency converters.

Engineering AlGaAs-on-insulator toward quantum optical applications.

Aluminum gallium arsenide has highly desirable properties for integrated parametric optical interactions: large material nonlinearities, maturely established nanoscopic structuring through epitaxial growth and lithography, and a large bandgap for broadband low-loss operation. However, its full potential for record-strength nonlinear interactions is only released when the semiconductor is embedded within a dielectric cladding to produce highly confining waveguides. From simulations of such, we present second- and third-order pair generation that could improve upon state-of-the-art quantum optical sources and make novel regimes of strong parametric photon-photon nonlinearities accessible.

Microscopy with undetected photons in the mid-infrared.

Owing to its capacity for unique (bio)-chemical specificity, microscopy with mid-infrared (IR) illumination holds tremendous promise for a wide range of biomedical and industrial applications. The primary limitation, however, remains detection, with current mid-IR detection technology often marrying inferior technical capabilities with prohibitive costs. Here, we experimentally show how nonlinear interferometry with entangled light can provide a powerful tool for mid-IR microscopy while only requiring near-IR detection with a silicon-based camera. In this proof-of-principle implementation, we demonstrate widefield imaging over a broad wavelength range covering 3.4 to 4.3 µm and demonstrate a spatial resolution of 35 µm for images containing 650 resolved elements. Moreover, we demonstrate that our technique is suitable for acquiring microscopic images of biological tissue samples in the mid-IR. These results form a fresh perspective for potential relevance of quantum imaging techniques in the life sciences.

An efficient, tunable, and robust source of narrow-band photon pairs at the 87Rb D1 line.

We present an efficient and robust source of photons at the 87Rb D1-line (795 nm) with a narrow bandwidth of δ = 226(1) MHz. The source is based on non-degenerate, cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion in a monolithic optical parametric oscillator far below threshold. The setup allows for efficient coupling to single mode fibers. A heralding efficiency of ηheralded = 45(5) % is achieved, and the uncorrected number of detected photon pairs is 3.8 × 103/(s mW). For pair generation rates up to 5 × 105/s, the source emits heralded single photons with a normalized, heralded, second-order correlation function g c(2)<0.01. The source is intrinsically stable due to the monolithic configuration. Frequency drifts are on the order of δ/20 per hour without active feedback on the emission frequency. We achieved fine-tuning of the source frequency within a range of >2 GHz by applying mechanical strain.

Ultra-broadband SPDC for spectrally far separated photon pairs.

Photon pairs from spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) are important for a wide range of quantum optics experiments with spectral properties such as their bandwidths often being a crucial concern. Here we show the generic existence of particular phase-matching conditions in quasi-phase-matched KTP, MgO:LN, and SLT crystals that lead to ultra-broadband, widely nondegenerate photon pairs. It is based on the existence of group-velocity-matched, far apart wavelength pairs and, for 2 mm long crystals, results in SPDC bandwidths between 15 and 25 THz for photon pairs with the idler photon in the technologically relevant mid-IR range of 3-5 µm and the signal photon in the near-IR below 1100 nm. We experimentally demonstrate this type of broadband phase matching in ppKTP crystals for photon pairs centered at 800 and 3800 nm and measure a bandwidth of 15 THz. This novel method of generating broadband photon pairs will be highly beneficial for SPDC-based imaging, spectroscopy, refractometry, and optical coherence tomography with undetected mid-IR photons.

Strong Nonlinear Coupling in a Si_{3}N_{4} Ring Resonator.

We demonstrate that nondegenerate four-wave mixing in a Si_{3}N_{4} microring resonator can result in a nonlinear coupling rate between two optical fields exceeding their energy dissipation rate in the resonator, corresponding to strong nonlinear coupling. We demonstrate that this leads to a Rabi-like splitting, for which we provide a theoretical description in agreement with our experimental results. This yields new insight into the dynamics of nonlinear optical interactions in microresonators and access to novel phenomena.

All-optically tunable buffer for single photons.

We demonstrate a photon buffer for quantum communication systems via a quantum frequency conversion-dispersion technique based on Bragg scattering four-wave mixing. The all-fiber setup is capable of imparting all-optical and continuously tunable delays onto single photons with minimal photon noise and absorption. Tunable delays up to 23 times the photon duration are demonstrated with on/off efficiencies as high as 55%.

Frequency multiplexing for quasi-deterministic heralded single-photon sources.

Parametric single-photon sources are well suited for large-scale quantum networks due to their potential for photonic integration. Active multiplexing of photons can overcome the intrinsically probabilistic nature of these sources, resulting in near-deterministic operation. However, previous implementations using spatial and temporal multiplexing scale unfavorably due to rapidly increasing switching losses. Here, we break this limitation via frequency multiplexing in which switching losses remain fixed irrespective of the number of multiplexed modes. We use low-noise optical frequency conversion for efficient frequency switching and demonstrate multiplexing of three modes. We achieve a generation rate of 4.6 × 104 photons per second with an ultra-low g(2)(0) = 0.07 indicating high single-photon purity. Our scalable, all-fiber multiplexing system has a total loss of just 1.3 dB, such that the 4.8 dB multiplexing enhancement markedly overcomes switching loss. Our approach offers a promising path to creating a deterministic photon source on an integrated chip-based platform.

Quantum interference between transverse spatial waveguide modes.

Integrated quantum optics has the potential to markedly reduce the footprint and resource requirements of quantum information processing systems, but its practical implementation demands broader utilization of the available degrees of freedom within the optical field. To date, integrated photonic quantum systems have primarily relied on path encoding. However, in the classical regime, the transverse spatial modes of a multi-mode waveguide have been easily manipulated using the waveguide geometry to densely encode information. Here, we demonstrate quantum interference between the transverse spatial modes within a single multi-mode waveguide using quantum circuit-building blocks. This work shows that spatial modes can be controlled to an unprecedented level and have the potential to enable practical and robust quantum information processing.

Ramsey Interference with Single Photons.

Interferometry using discrete energy levels of nuclear, atomic, or molecular systems is the foundation for a wide range of physical phenomena and enables powerful techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, Ramsey-based spectroscopy, and laser or maser technology. It also plays a unique role in quantum information processing as qubits may be implemented as energy superposition states of simple quantum systems. Here, we demonstrate quantum interference involving energy states of single quanta of light. In full analogy to the energy levels of atoms or nuclear spins, we implement a Ramsey interferometer with single photons. We experimentally generate energy superposition states of a single photon and manipulate them with unitary transformations to realize arbitrary projective measurements. Our approach opens the path for frequency-encoded photonic qubits in quantum information processing and quantum communication.

Dual-pumped degenerate Kerr oscillator in a silicon nitride microresonator.

We demonstrate a degenerate parametric oscillator in a silicon nitride microresonator. We use two frequency-detuned pump waves to perform parametric four-wave mixing and operate in the normal group-velocity dispersion regime to produce signal and idler fields that are frequency degenerate. Our theoretical modeling shows that this regime enables generation of bimodal phase states, analogous to the χ(2)-based degenerate OPO. Our system offers potential for realization of CMOS-chip-based coherent optical computing and an all-optical quantum random number generator.

Continuous generation of rubidium vapor in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers.

We demonstrate high optical depths (50±5) that last for hours in rubidium-filled hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers, which represent a 1000× improvement over the operation times previously reported. We investigate the vapor generation mechanism using both a continuous wave and a pulsed light source, and find that the mechanism for generating the rubidium atoms is primarily due to thermal vaporization. The continuous generation of large vapor densities should enable measurements at the single-photon level by averaging over longer time scales.

Tunable frequency combs based on dual microring resonators.

In order to achieve efficient parametric frequency comb generation in microresonators, external control of coupling between the cavity and the bus waveguide is necessary. However, for passive monolithically integrated structures, the coupling gap is fixed and cannot be externally controlled, making tuning the coupling inherently challenging. We design a dual-cavity coupled microresonator structure in which tuning one ring resonance frequency induces a change in the overall cavity coupling condition. We demonstrate wide extinction tunability with high efficiency by engineering the ring coupling conditions. Additionally, we note a distinct dispersion tunability resulting from coupling two cavities of slightly different path lengths, and present a new method of modal dispersion engineering. Our fabricated devices consist of two coupled high quality factor silicon nitride microresonators, where the extinction ratio of the resonances can be controlled using integrated microheaters. Using this extinction tunability, we optimize comb generation efficiency as well as provide tunability for avoiding higher-order mode-crossings, known for degrading comb generation. The device is able to provide a 110-fold improvement in the comb generation efficiency. Finally, we demonstrate open eye diagrams using low-noise phase-locked comb lines as a wavelength-division multiplexing channel.

Strong polarization mode coupling in microresonators.

We observe strong modal coupling between the TE00 and TM00 modes in Si3N4 ring resonators revealed by avoided crossings of the corresponding resonances. Such couplings result in significant shifts of the resonance frequencies over a wide range around the crossing points. This leads to an effective dispersion that is one order of magnitude larger than the intrinsic dispersion and creates broad windows of anomalous dispersion. We also observe the changes to frequency comb spectra generated in Si3N4 microresonators due to polarization mode and higher-order mode crossings and suggest approaches to avoid these effects. Alternatively, such polarization mode crossings can be used as a tool for dispersion engineering in microresonators.

Quantum imaging with undetected photons.

Information is central to quantum mechanics. In particular, quantum interference occurs only if there exists no information to distinguish between the superposed states. The mere possibility of obtaining information that could distinguish between overlapping states inhibits quantum interference. Here we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a quantum imaging concept based on induced coherence without induced emission. Our experiment uses two separate down-conversion nonlinear crystals (numbered NL1 and NL2), each illuminated by the same pump laser, creating one pair of photons (denoted idler and signal). If the photon pair is created in NL1, one photon (the idler) passes through the object to be imaged and is overlapped with the idler amplitude created in NL2, its source thus being undefined. Interference of the signal amplitudes coming from the two crystals then reveals the image of the object. The photons that pass through the imaged object (idler photons from NL1) are never detected, while we obtain images exclusively with the signal photons (from NL1 and NL2), which do not interact with the object. Our experiment is fundamentally different from previous quantum imaging techniques, such as interaction-free imaging or ghost imaging, because now the photons used to illuminate the object do not have to be detected at all and no coincidence detection is necessary. This enables the probe wavelength to be chosen in a range for which suitable detectors are not available. To illustrate this, we show images of objects that are either opaque or invisible to the detected photons. Our experiment is a prototype in quantum information--knowledge can be extracted by, and about, a photon that is never detected.

Generation and confirmation of a (100 x 100)-dimensional entangled quantum system.

Entangled quantum systems have properties that have fundamentally overthrown the classical worldview. Increasing the complexity of entangled states by expanding their dimensionality allows the implementation of novel fundamental tests of nature, and moreover also enables genuinely new protocols for quantum information processing. Here we present the creation of a (100 × 100)-dimensional entangled quantum system, using spatial modes of photons. For its verification we develop a novel nonlinear criterion which infers entanglement dimensionality of a global state by using only information about its subspace correlations. This allows very practical experimental implementation as well as highly efficient extraction of entanglement dimensionality information. Applications in quantum cryptography and other protocols are very promising.

Phase-stable source of polarization-entangled photons in a linear double-pass configuration.

We demonstrate a compact, robust, and highly efficient source of polarization-entangled photons, based on linear bi-directional down-conversion in a novel 'folded sandwich' configuration. Bi-directionally pumping a single periodically poled KTiOPO(4) (ppKTP) crystal with a 405-nm laser diode, we generate entangled photon pairs at the non-degenerate wavelengths 784 nm (signal) and 839 nm (idler), and achieve an unprecedented detection rate of 11.8 kcps for 10.4 µW of pump power (1.1 million pairs / mW), in a 2.9-nm bandwidth, while maintaining a very high two-photon entanglement quality, with a Bell-state fidelity of 99.3 ± 0.3%.

Real-time imaging of quantum entanglement.

Quantum Entanglement is widely regarded as one of the most prominent features of quantum mechanics and quantum information science. Although, photonic entanglement is routinely studied in many experiments nowadays, its signature has been out of the grasp for real-time imaging. Here we show that modern technology, namely triggered intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) cameras are fast and sensitive enough to image in real-time the effect of the measurement of one photon on its entangled partner. To quantitatively verify the non-classicality of the measurements we determine the detected photon number and error margin from the registered intensity image within a certain region. Additionally, the use of the ICCD camera allows us to demonstrate the high flexibility of the setup in creating any desired spatial-mode entanglement, which suggests as well that visual imaging in quantum optics not only provides a better intuitive understanding of entanglement but will improve applications of quantum science.