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Roberts K, Wolley O, Gregory T, Padgett MJ. A comparison between the measurement of quantum spatial correlations using qCMOS photon-number resolving and electron multiplying CCD camera technologies. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14687. [PMID: 38918443 PMCID: PMC11199506 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64674-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Cameras with single-photon sensitivities can be used to measure the spatial correlations between the photon-pairs that are produced by parametric down-conversion. Even when pumped by a single-mode laser, the signal and idler photons are typically distributed over several thousand spatial modes yet strongly correlated with each other in their position and anti-correlated in their transverse momentum. These spatial correlations enable applications in imaging, sensing, communication, and optical processing. Here we show that, using a photon-number resolving camera, spatial correlations can be observed after only a few 10s of seconds of measurement time, thereby demonstrating comparable performance with previous single photon sensitive camera technologies but with the additional capability to resolve photon-number. Consequently, these photon-number resolving technologies are likely to find wide use in quantum, low-light, imaging systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Roberts
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - O Wolley
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - T Gregory
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - M J Padgett
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
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2
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Lipka M, Parniak M. Ultrafast electro-optic time-frequency fractional Fourier imaging at the single-photon level. OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 32:9573-9588. [PMID: 38571188 DOI: 10.1364/oe.507911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The Fractional Fourier Transform (FRT) corresponds to an arbitrary-angle rotation in the phase space, e.g., the time-frequency (TF) space, and generalizes the fundamentally important Fourier Transform. FRT applications range from classical signal processing (e.g., time-correlated noise optimal filtering) to emerging quantum technologies (e.g., super-resolution TF sensing) which rely on or benefit from coherent low-noise TF operations. Here a versatile low-noise single-photon-compatible implementation of the FRT is presented. Optical TF FRT can be synthesized as a series of a spectral disperser, a time-lens, and another spectral disperser. Relying on the state-of-the-art electro-optic modulators (EOM) for the time-lens, our method avoids added noise inherent to the alternatives based on non-linear optical interactions (such as wave-mixing, cross-phase modulation, or parametric processes). Precise control of the EOM-driving radio-frequency signal enables fast all-electronic control of the FRT angle. In the experiment, we demonstrate FRT angles of up to 1.63 rad for pairs of coherent temporally separated 11.5 ps-wide pulses in the near-infrared (800 nm). We observe a good agreement between the simulated and measured output spectra in the bright-light and single-photon-level regimes, and for a range of pulse separations (20 ps to 26.7 ps). Furthermore, a tradeoff is established between the maximal FRT angle and optical bandwidth, with the current setup accommodating up to 248 GHz of bandwidth. With the ongoing progress in EOM on-chip integration, we envisage excellent scalability and vast applications in all-optical TF processing both in the classical and quantum regimes.
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Szuniewicz J, Kurdziałek S, Kundu S, Zwolinski W, Chrapkiewicz R, Lahiri M, Lapkiewicz R. Noise-resistant phase imaging with intensity correlation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh5396. [PMID: 37738351 PMCID: PMC10516487 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh5396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Interferometric methods form the basis of highly sensitive measurement techniques from astronomy to bioimaging. Interferometry typically requires high stability between the measured and reference beams. The presence of rapid phase fluctuations washes out interference fringes, making phase profile recovery impossible. This challenge can be addressed by shortening the measurement time. However, such an approach reduces photon-counting rates, precluding applications in low-intensity imaging. We introduce a phase imaging technique which is immune to time-dependent phase fluctuations. Our technique, relying on intensity correlation instead of direct intensity measurements, allows one to obtain high interference visibility for arbitrarily long acquisition times. We prove the optimality of our method using the Cramér-Rao bound in the extreme case when no more than two photons are detected within the time window of phase stability. Our technique will broaden prospects in phase measurements, including emerging applications such as in infrared and x-ray imaging and quantum and matter-wave interferometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerzy Szuniewicz
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Stanisław Kurdziałek
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Sanjukta Kundu
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Wojciech Zwolinski
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warszawa, Poland
| | | | - Mayukh Lahiri
- Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Radek Lapkiewicz
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, ul. Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warszawa, Poland
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4
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Thekkadath G, England D, Bouchard F, Zhang Y, Kim M, Sussman B. Intensity interferometry for holography with quantum and classical light. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh1439. [PMID: 37406121 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh1439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
As first demonstrated by Hanbury Brown and Twiss, it is possible to observe interference between independent light sources by measuring correlations in their intensities rather than their amplitudes. In this work, we apply this concept of intensity interferometry to holography. We combine a signal beam with a reference and measure their intensity cross-correlations using a time-tagging single-photon camera. These correlations reveal an interference pattern from which we reconstruct the signal wavefront in both intensity and phase. We demonstrate the principle with classical and quantum light, including a single photon. Since the signal and reference do not need to be phase-stable nor from the same light source, this technique can be used to generate holograms of self-luminous or remote objects using a local reference, thus opening the door to new holography applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Thekkadath
- National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Rd, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Duncan England
- National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Frédéric Bouchard
- National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Yingwen Zhang
- National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
- Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Myungshik Kim
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Rd, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Benjamin Sussman
- National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
- Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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5
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Courme B, Vernière C, Svihra P, Gigan S, Nomerotski A, Defienne H. Quantifying high-dimensional spatial entanglement with a single-photon-sensitive time-stamping camera. OPTICS LETTERS 2023; 48:3439-3442. [PMID: 37390150 DOI: 10.1364/ol.487182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
High-dimensional entanglement is a promising resource for quantum technologies. Being able to certify it for any quantum state is essential. However, to date, experimental entanglement certification methods are imperfect and leave some loopholes open. Using a single-photon-sensitive time-stamping camera, we quantify high-dimensional spatial entanglement by collecting all output modes and without background subtraction, two critical steps on the route toward assumptions-free entanglement certification. We show position-momentum Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) correlations and quantify the entanglement of formation of our source to be larger than 2.8 along both transverse spatial axes, indicating a dimension higher than 14. Our work overcomes important challenges in photonic entanglement quantification and paves the way toward the development of practical quantum information processing protocols based on high-dimensional entanglement.
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Vidyapin V, Zhang Y, England D, Sussman B. Characterisation of a single photon event camera for quantum imaging. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1009. [PMID: 36653398 PMCID: PMC9849442 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27842-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We show a simple yet effective method that can be used to characterize the per pixel quantum efficiency and temporal resolution of a single photon event camera for quantum imaging applications. Utilizing photon pairs generated through spontaneous parametric down-conversion, the detection efficiency of each pixel, and the temporal resolution of the system, are extracted through coincidence measurements. We use this method to evaluate the TPX3CAM, with appended image intensifier, and measure an average efficiency of [Formula: see text]% and a temporal resolution of 7.3 ns. Furthermore, this technique reveals important error mechanisms that can occur in post-processing. We expect that this technique, and elements therein, will be useful to characterise other quantum imaging systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Vidyapin
- grid.24433.320000 0004 0449 7958National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6 Canada
| | - Yingwen Zhang
- grid.24433.320000 0004 0449 7958National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6 Canada ,grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada
| | - Duncan England
- grid.24433.320000 0004 0449 7958National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6 Canada
| | - Benjamin Sussman
- grid.24433.320000 0004 0449 7958National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6 Canada ,grid.28046.380000 0001 2182 2255Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada
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7
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Zhang Y, England D, Sussman B. Snapshot hyperspectral imaging with quantum correlated photons. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:2282-2291. [PMID: 36785245 DOI: 10.1364/oe.462587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has a wide range of applications from environmental monitoring to biotechnology. Conventional snapshot HSI techniques generally require a trade-off between spatial and spectral resolution and are thus limited in their ability to achieve high resolutions in both simultaneously. Most techniques are also resource inefficient with most of the photons lost through spectral filtering. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-principle snapshot HSI technique utilizing the strong spectro-temporal correlations inherent in entangled photons using a modified quantum ghost spectroscopy system, where the target is directly imaged with one photon and the spectral information gained through ghost spectroscopy from the partner photon. As only a few rows of pixels near the edge of the camera are used for the spectrometer, effectively no spatial resolution is sacrificed for spectral. Also since no spectral filtering is required, all photons contribute to the HSI process making the technique much more resource efficient.
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Gao X, Zhang Y, D'Errico A, Heshami K, Karimi E. High-speed imaging of spatiotemporal correlations in Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 30:19456-19464. [PMID: 36221721 DOI: 10.1364/oe.456433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Hong-Ou-Mandel interference effect lies at the heart of many emerging quantum technologies whose performance can be significantly enhanced with increasing numbers of entangled modes one could measure and thus utilize. Photon pairs generated through the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion are known to be entangled in a vast number of modes in the various degrees of freedom (DOF) the photons possess such as time, energy, and momentum, etc. Due to limitations in detection technology and techniques, often only one such DOFs can be effectively measured at a time, resulting in much lost potential. Here, we experimentally demonstrate, with the aid of a time tagging camera, high speed measurement and characterization of two-photon interference. With a data acquisition time of only a few seconds, we observe a bi-photon interference and coalescence visibility of ∼64% with potentially up to ∼2 × 103 spatial modes. These results open up a route for practical applications of using the high dimensionality of spatiotemporal DOF in two-photon interference, and in particular, for quantum sensing and communication.
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Thekkadath GS, Bell BA, Patel RB, Kim MS, Walmsley IA. Measuring the Joint Spectral Mode of Photon Pairs Using Intensity Interferometry. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:023601. [PMID: 35089759 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.023601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The ability to manipulate and measure the time-frequency structure of quantum light is useful for information processing and metrology. Measuring this structure is also important when developing quantum light sources with high modal purity that can interfere with other independent sources. Here, we present and experimentally demonstrate a scheme based on intensity interferometry to measure the joint spectral mode of photon pairs produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. We observe correlations in the spectral phase of the photons due to chirp in the pump. We show that our scheme can be combined with stimulated emission tomography to quickly measure their mode using bright classical light. Our scheme does not require phase stability, nonlinearities, or spectral shaping and thus is an experimentally simple way of measuring the modal structure of quantum light.
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Affiliation(s)
- G S Thekkadath
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - B A Bell
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - R B Patel
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - M S Kim
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - I A Walmsley
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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