Imaging quantum interference of entangled photon pairs of extremely high dimensionality

Researchers from the Optics Department have developed an imaging device allowing the spatial and temporal resolution of the phenomenon of quantum interference between pairs of entangled photons of extremely high dimensionality. This work paves the way for the development of very high dimensional information protocols.

In a crystal, photons of a laser beam can split in pairs of lower frequency, the spontaneous down conversion (SPDC) phenomenon. The so-called twin, or entangled, photons of a pair form a single quantum object. Therefore, if they are sent on a beam-splitter they exit randomly, but both on the same output port. This is the famous Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) two-photon interference.

HOM interference is used in novel communication protocols, like quantum teleportation and quantum information processing, but until now without spatial resolution, by using bucket detectors. However, entanglement concerns all properties of twin photons, including their position in space and time, and here HOM interference is obtained for thousands of spatial as well temporal resolution cells, resulting in a total spatio-temporal dimensionality of 3 million.

In our HOM interferometer, spatial coincidences at the output ports are imaged on two cameras operating in photon counting mode. Since we control temporally, spatially, in polarization and in wavelength the indistinguishability between the photons of a pair, we have observed and quantified spatially and temporally the HOM interference at the quantum level, with a visibility of 60%, of more than 4000 photon pairs of extremely large spatio-temporal dimensionality.

Given the essential role played by two-photon HOM interference in most of the systems developed for quantum information processing, demonstrating that HOM interference can be obtained by manipulating quantum states of giant dimensionality opens the way for the development of very high-dimensional quantum information protocols using space and time variables.

This work has just been published in the journal Physical Review X and is highlighted in the CNRS news

Contact : Fabrice Devaux

Référence :

Imaging spatio-temporal Hong-Ou-Mandel interference of biphoton state of extremely high Schmidt number, F. Devaux, A. Mosset P.A. Moreau, et E.Lantz .
Physical Review X, 2020.
DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevX.10.031031

Polymer-based nanowires
Molecules, salt and light : an easy recipe to provide giant nanowires !
Read more
Discussions about good practices around smart specialization
In the frame of the 2014-2020 programming of the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the European Union has asked all the regions of Europe to draw up a "Smart Specialization Strategy" for research and innovation on their own territory: this is the S3.
Read more
Optical Neural Networks start to learn...
Work is actively in progress at FEMTO-ST in order to design the photonic architectures dedicated to our future processors that will be computing through artificial intelligence concepts.
Read more
When the light is directed by its magnetic field

FEMTO-ST researchers have discovered a new optical magnetic interaction to direct light fluxes. These works are published in the journal Light: Science and Applications

Read more
Amar Nath Ghosh awarded at OSA Advanced Photonics Congress
Amar Nath Ghosh won the Best student paper award of the OSA Advanced Photonics Congress , Zurich.
Read more
Focus on the innovations of the "hydrogen-energy systems" sector
A few days after the announcement by the government of the launch of a major national hydrogen plan, the Femto-ST institute is organizing on 20 June 2018 at the FCLAB in Belfort, a focus on innovations in the "hydrogen energy systems" sector.
Read more
Robotic assembly of the smallest house in the world
the handling and assembly capabilities of nanocomponents of the "μRobotex" platform make the buzz on the net and in the international press through the origami manufacturing of a micro-house at the end of an optical fiber whose dimensions are less than the diameter of a hair.
Read more
Nicolas Andreff, receives the scientific award "Charles Defforey" from -Institut de France Foundation
Awarded May 30 under the Dome of the “ (Institut de France) " by Jean-Paul Laumond, a member of the Academy of Sciences, this Grand Prize crowns the work & skills of Nic
Read more
International Day of Light 2018
Following the success of the International Year of Light, which highlighted the importance of light-based science and technology and generated more than 13,000 activities in 147 countries, UNESCO proclaimed May 16 as the International Day of Light.
Read more
Enrico Rubiola honored at IFCS 2018
Enrico Rubiola will receive the W. G. Cady Award at the IFCS 2018 on May 24th.
Read more