High-Dimensional Two-Photon Interference Effects in Spatial Modes.

Abstract

Two-photon interference is a fundamental quantum optics effect with numerous applications in quantum information science. Here, we study two-photon interference in multiple transverse-spatial modes along a single beam-path. Besides implementing the analog of the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference using a two-dimensional spatial-mode splitter, we extend the scheme to observe coalescence and anticoalescence in different three- and four-dimensional spatial-mode multiports. The operation within spatial modes, along a single beam path, lifts the requirement for interferometric stability and opens up new pathways of implementing linear optical networks for complex quantum information tasks.