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Open AccessTechnical Note

A Method to Correct the Temporal Drift of Single-Photon Detectors Based on Asynchronous Quantum Ghost Imaging

by Carsten Pitsch, Dominik Walter, Leonardo Gasparini, Helge Bürsing and Marc Eichhorn

Sensors 2024, 24(8), 2578; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24082578 - 18 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1536

Single-photon detection and timing has attracted increasing interest in recent years due to their necessity in the field of quantum sensing and the advantages of single-quanta detection in the field of low-level light imaging. While simple bucket detectors are mature enough for commercial [...] Read more.

Single-photon detection and timing has attracted increasing interest in recent years due to their necessity in the field of quantum sensing and the advantages of single-quanta detection in the field of low-level light imaging. While simple bucket detectors are mature enough for commercial applications, more complex imaging detectors are still a field of research comprising mostly prototype-level detectors. A major problem in these detectors is the implementation of in-pixel timing circuitry, especially for two-dimensional imagers. One of the most promising approaches is the use of voltage-controlled ring resonators in every pixel. Each of these runs independently based on a voltage supplied by a global reference. However, this yields the problem that the supply voltage can change across the chip which, in turn, changes the period of the ring resonator. Due to additional parasitic effects, this problem can worsen with increasing measurement time, leading to drift in the timing information. We present here a method to identify and correct such temporal drifts in single-photon detectors based on asynchronous quantum ghost imaging. We also show the effect of this correction on recent quantum ghost imaging (QGI) measurement from our group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Optical Sensors)

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26 pages, 7157 KB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Recent Progress in Short and Mid-Infrared Single-Photon Generation: A Review

by Arianna Elefante, Stefano Dello Russo, Fabrizio Sgobba, Luigi Santamaria Amato, Deborah Katia Pallotti, Daniele Dequal and Mario Siciliani de Cumis

Optics 2023, 4(1), 13-38; https://doi.org/10.3390/opt4010003 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 6073

Abstract

The generation of single photons in the mid-infrared spectral region is attracting the interest of scientific and technological research, motivated by the potential improvements that many important and emerging applications, such as quantum sensing, metrology and communication, could benefit from. This review reports [...] Read more.

The generation of single photons in the mid-infrared spectral region is attracting the interest of scientific and technological research, motivated by the potential improvements that many important and emerging applications, such as quantum sensing, metrology and communication, could benefit from. This review reports the progress in short and mid-infrared single photon generation, focusing on probabilistic sources based on the two non-linear processes of spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) and four wave mixing (FWM). On one hand, numerical simulations of mid-infrared SPDC are described as a powerful tool to assist and guide the experimental realization, along with the implementation and engineering of novel non-linear materials. On the other hand, the advantages offered by FWM in silicon waveguides in terms of integration, miniaturization and manufacturability are presented, providing an optimal technology for integrated quantum applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Sensing Technologies: Recent Advances and Emerging Applications)

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30 pages, 1466 KB

Open AccessArticle

Exact Solutions for Vector Phase-Matching Conditions in Nonlinear Uniaxial Crystals

by Juan López-Durán and Oscar Rosas-Ortiz

Symmetry 2022, 14(11), 2272; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14112272 - 29 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4089

Abstract

The transcendental equations of vector phase matching are transformed into a fourth-order polynomial equation that admits an analytical solution. The real roots of this equation provide the optical axis orientations that are useful for efficient down-conversion in nonlinear uniaxial crystals. The production of [...] Read more.

The transcendental equations of vector phase matching are transformed into a fourth-order polynomial equation that admits an analytical solution. The real roots of this equation provide the optical axis orientations that are useful for efficient down-conversion in nonlinear uniaxial crystals. The production of entangled photon pairs is discussed in both collinear and non-collinear configurations of the spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. Degenerate and non-degenerate cases are also distinguished. As a practical example, SPDC processes of type-I and type-II are studied for beta-barium borate (BBO) crystals. The predictions are in very good agreement with experimental measurements already reported in the literature and include theoretical results of other authors as particular cases. Some properties that seem to be exclusive to BBO crystals are reported; the experimental verification of the latter would allow a better characterization of these crystals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photonics)

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11 pages, 1966 KB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of 1064-nm Pumped Type II SPDC in Potassium Niobate for Generation of High Spectral Purity Photon Pairs

by Donghwa Lee, Ilhwan Kim and Kwang Jo Lee

Crystals 2021, 11(6), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11060599 - 26 May 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4160

Abstract

The generation and detection of nonclassical light of about 2 μm has good potential in an emerging field of high-sensitivity metrology, especially gravitational wave detection, as well as free-space quantum communication. A pair of photons is generated through a spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) [...] Read more.

The generation and detection of nonclassical light of about 2 μm has good potential in an emerging field of high-sensitivity metrology, especially gravitational wave detection, as well as free-space quantum communication. A pair of photons is generated through a spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process in a nonlinear optic crystal, which can be properly entangled in a spatial region where two beams with each polarization overlap or in a Sagnac-loop interferometer configuration. We investigated theoretically and numerically Type II SPDC in a potassium niobate (KNbO₃, KN) crystal, which is useful as a material platform for generating photon pairs of high spectral purity in the 2-μm range. The technique is based on the frequency degenerate SPDC under Type II extended phase matching (EPM). We described the EPM characteristics of KN and showed that it is practically feasible for a 1064-nm pumped SPDC under moderate temperature conditions. The effective nonlinear optic coefficient of KN is at least four-times larger than those of other crystals using the Type II EPM approach, which implies a significant improvement in SPDC efficiency. The joint spectral analysis showed that a pair of photons can be generated with a high purity of 0.995 through proper pump filtering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nonlinear Photonic Crystals: Advances in Fabrication and Applications)

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13 pages, 3551 KB

Open AccessArticle

Study of Type II SPDC in Lithium Niobate for High Spectral Purity Photon Pair Generation

by Ilhwan Kim, Donghwa Lee and Kwang Jo Lee

Crystals 2021, 11(4), 406; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11040406 - 10 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 7801

Abstract

Recent advances of high-quality lithium niobate (LN) on insulator technology have revitalized the progress of novel chip-integrated LN-based photonic devices and accelerated application research. One of the promising technologies of interest is the generation of entangled photon pairs based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion [...] Read more.

Recent advances of high-quality lithium niobate (LN) on insulator technology have revitalized the progress of novel chip-integrated LN-based photonic devices and accelerated application research. One of the promising technologies of interest is the generation of entangled photon pairs based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in LNs. In this paper, we investigated, theoretically and numerically, Type II SPDC in two kinds of LNs—undoped and 5-mol% MgO doped LNs. In each case, both non-poled and periodically poled crystals were considered. The technique is based on the SPDC under Type II extended phase matching, where the phase matching and the group velocity matching are simultaneously achieved between interacting photons. The proposed approach has not yet been reported for LNs. We discussed all factors required to generate photon pairs in LNs, in terms of the beam propagation direction, the spectral position of photons, and the corresponding effective nonlinearities and walk-offs. We showed that the spectral positions of the generated photon pairs fall into the mid-infrared region with high potential for free-space quantum communication, spectroscopy, and high-sensitivity metrology. The joint spectral analyses showed that photon pairs can be generated with high purities of 0.995–0.999 with proper pump filtering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Trends in Lithium Niobate: From Bulk to Nanocrystals)

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11 pages, 4514 KB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Investigation of High-Purity Polarization-Entangled Photon-Pair Generation in Non-Poled KTP Isomorphs

by Ilhwan Kim, Donghwa Lee and Kwang Jo Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 565; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020565 - 8 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3302

Abstract

We investigated the high-purity entangled photon-pair generation in five kinds of “non-poled” potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) isomorphs (i.e., KTiOPO₄, RbTiOPO₄, KTiOAsO₄, RbTiOAsO₄, and CsTiOAsO₄). The technique is based on the spontaneous parametric down-conversion [...] Read more.

We investigated the high-purity entangled photon-pair generation in five kinds of “non-poled” potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) isomorphs (i.e., KTiOPO₄, RbTiOPO₄, KTiOAsO₄, RbTiOAsO₄, and CsTiOAsO₄). The technique is based on the spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) under Type II extended phase matching (EPM), where the phase matching and the group velocity matching are simultaneously achieved between the interacting photons in non-poled crystals rather than periodically poled (PP) KTPs that are widely used for quantum experiments. We discussed both theoretically and numerically all aspects required to generate photon pairs in non-poled KTP isomorphs, in terms of the range of the beam propagation direction (or the spectral range of photons) and the corresponding effective nonlinearities and beam walk-offs. We showed that the SPDC efficiency can be increased in non-poled KTP isomorphs by 29% to 77% compared to PPKTP cases. The joint spectral analyses showed that photon pairs can be generated with high purities of 0.995–0.997 with proper pump filtering. In contrast to the PPKTP case, where the EPM is achieved only at one specific wavelength, the spectral position of photon pairs in the non-poled KTP isomorphs can be chosen over the wide range of 1883.8–2068.1 nm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Optics and Lasers)

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11 pages, 2126 KB

Open AccessArticle

SI Traceable Solar Spectral Irradiance Measurement Based on a Quantum Benchmark: A Prototype Design

by Xiaobing Zheng, Maopeng Xia, Wenchao Zhai, Youbo Hu, Jianjun Li, Yinlin Yuan and Weiwei Pang

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(9), 1454; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12091454 - 4 May 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3305

Abstract

We propose a space benchmark sensor with onboard SI (Système International) traceability by means of quantum optical radiometry. Correlated photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in nonlinear crystals are used to calibrate the absolute responsivity of a solar observing radiometer. The [...] Read more.

We propose a space benchmark sensor with onboard SI (Système International) traceability by means of quantum optical radiometry. Correlated photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in nonlinear crystals are used to calibrate the absolute responsivity of a solar observing radiometer. The calibration is systematic, insensitive to degradation and independent of external radiometric standards. Solar spectral irradiance at 380–2500 nm is traceable to the photon rate and Planck’s constant with an expected uncertainty of about 0.35%. The principle of SPDC calibration and a prototype design of the solar radiometer are introduced. The uncertainty budget is analyzed in consideration of errors arising from calibration and observation modes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Needs and Path Toward an SI-Traceable Space-based Climate Observing System)

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11 pages, 3349 KB

Open AccessArticle

Generation of Pure State Photon Triplets in the C-Band

by Xi-Rong Su, Yi-Wen Huang, Tong Xiang, Yuan-Hua Li and Xian-Feng Chen

Micromachines 2019, 10(11), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi10110775 - 13 Nov 2019

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3389

Abstract

In this work, the cascaded second-order spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) is considered to produce pure state photon triplets in periodically poled lithium niobite (PPLN) doped with 5% MgO. A set of parameters are optimized through calculating the Schmidt number of two-photon states generated [...] Read more.

In this work, the cascaded second-order spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) is considered to produce pure state photon triplets in periodically poled lithium niobite (PPLN) doped with 5% MgO. A set of parameters are optimized through calculating the Schmidt number of two-photon states generated by each down-conversion process with different pump durations and crystal lengths. We use a Gaussian filter in part and obtain three photons with 100% purity in spectrum. We provide a feasible and unprecedented scheme to manipulate the spectrum purity of photon triplets in the communication band (C-band). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nonlinear Photonics Devices)

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12 pages, 1569 KB

Open AccessArticle

Correlation Plenoptic Imaging With Entangled Photons

by Francesco V. Pepe, Francesco Di Lena, Augusto Garuccio, Giuliano Scarcelli and Milena D’Angelo

Technologies 2016, 4(2), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies4020017 - 7 Jun 2016

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 6248

Abstract

Plenoptic imaging is a novel optical technique for three-dimensional imaging in a single shot. It is enabled by the simultaneous measurement of both the location and the propagation direction of light in a given scene. In the standard approach, the maximum spatial and [...] Read more.

Plenoptic imaging is a novel optical technique for three-dimensional imaging in a single shot. It is enabled by the simultaneous measurement of both the location and the propagation direction of light in a given scene. In the standard approach, the maximum spatial and angular resolutions are inversely proportional, and so are the resolution and the maximum achievable depth of focus of the 3D image. We have recently proposed a method to overcome such fundamental limits by combining plenoptic imaging with an intriguing correlation remote-imaging technique: ghost imaging. Here, we theoretically demonstrate that correlation plenoptic imaging can be effectively achieved by exploiting the position-momentum entanglement characterizing spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) photon pairs. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we shall show that correlation plenoptic imaging with entangled photons may enable the refocusing of an out-of-focus image at the same depth of focus of a standard plenoptic device, but without sacrificing diffraction-limited image resolution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Imaging)

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