Radek Machulka

Spatial properties of twin-beam correlations at low- to high-intensity transition

It is shown that spatial correlation functions measured for correlated photon pairs at the single-photon level correspond to speckle patterns visible at high intensities. This correspondence is observed for the first time in one experimental setup by using different acquisition modes of an intensified CCD camera in low and high intensity regimes. The behavior of intensity auto- and cross-correlation functions in dependence on pump-beam parameters including power and transverse profile is investigated.

Optimal sub-Poissonian light generation from twin beams by photon-number resolving detectors

We generate nonclassical conditional states by exploiting the quantum correlations of multimode twin-beam states endowed with a sizeable number of photons. A strong relation between the sub-shot-noise correlations exhibited by twin beams and the sub-Poissonian character of the conditional states is experimentally revealed, determining the optimal conditions for sub-Poissonian light generation.

Characterizing the nonclassicality of mesoscopic optical twin-beam states

We present a robust tool to analyze nonclassical properties of multimode twin-beam states in the mesoscopic photon-number domain. The measurements are performed by direct detection. The analysis exploits three different non-classicality criteria for detected photons exhibiting complementary behavior in the explored intensity regime. Joint signal-idler photon-number distributions and quasi-distributions of integrated intensities are determined and compared with the corresponding distributions of detected photons. Experimental conditions optimal for nonclassical properties of twin-beam states are identified.

Spatial and spectral coherence in propagating high-intensity twin beams.

Spatial and spectral coherence of high-intensity twin-beam states propagating from the near-field to the far-field configurations is experimentally investigated by measuring intensity auto- and cross-correlation functions. The experimental setup includes a moving crystal and an iCCD camera placed at the output plane of an imaging spectrometer. Evolution from the tight near-field spatial position cross-correlations to the far-field momentum cross-correlations, accompanied by changeless spectral cross-correlations, is observed. Intensity autocorrelation functions and beam profiles are also monitored as they provide the number of degrees of freedom constituting the down-converted beams. The strength of intensity cross-correlations as an alternative quantity for the determination of the number of degrees of freedom is also measured. The relation between the beam coherence and the number of degrees of freedom is discussed.

Spatial and spectral properties of fields generated by pulsed second-harmonic generation in a periodically poled potassium-titanyl-phosphate waveguide

Spatial and spectral properties of the pulsed second harmon ic generation in a periodically-poled KTP waveguide exploiti ng simultaneously the first, second, and third harmonics of periodic nonl i ear modulation are analyzed. Experimental results are interpreted using a model based on finite elements method. Correlations between spatial and sp ectral properties of the fundamental and second-harmonic fields are revealed. Individual nonlinear processes can be exploited combining spatial and spectral filtering. Also the influence of waveguide parameters to the second -harmonic spectra is addressed.

Spatio-spectral characterization of twin-beam states of light for quantum state engineering

We present an experimental investigation of the spatio-spectral coherence properties of bright twin-beam states (TWBs) as functions of different parameters, such as pump mean power and tuning angle of the employed nonlinear crystal. Our attention is mainly focused on the possible relations among the different quantities under investigation. Particular attention is devoted to the evolution of the number of spatio-spectral modes describing the radiation field, as it represents an interesting property to be controlled in view of possible applications to quantum state engineering protocols.

Effects of pump depletion on spatial and spectral properties of parametric down-conversion

It is well known that optical twin-beam states (TWB) generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion (PDC) exhibit spatial and spectral correlations, which can appear in single-shot images obtained by using an imaging spectrometer to resolve emission angles and wavelengths simultaneously. By analyzing series of single-shot images recorded by an EMCCD camera at different powers of the pump beam, we studied the evolution of several quantities characterizing the generated TWB. In particular, we demonstrated that correlation widths in spectrum and space increase monotonically at low pump powers and then start decreasing at higher powers due to the onset of pump depletion. In a complementary way, the Fedorov ratio decreases and then increases again. At the same time, the number of modes evaluated from photon statistics follows a complementary behavior to correlation widths that can be interpreted in terms of the evolution of the number of Schmidt modes in the field.

Luminescence-induced noise in single photon sources based on BBO crystals

Single-photon sources based on the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion play a key role in various applied disciplines of quantum optics. We characterize the intrinsic luminescence of BBO crystals as a source of non-removable noise in quantum-optics experiments. By analysing its spectral and temporal properties together with its intensity, we evaluate the impact of luminescence on single-photon state preparation using spontaneous parametric down-conversion.

Spectral coherence of twin beams by single-shot measurements with a fiber spectrometer

We observed the spectral coherence structure of twin beam states generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion by using a simple fiber spectrometer synchronized with a pulsed laser source. The recorded single-shot spectra exhibit a well-defined peak structure, where the peak wavelengths change values from shot to shot. We studied the number and the width of the peaks as a function of the different parameters in the experimental setup (pump power, iris size, iris distance from the BBO crystal). Moreover, we evaluated the number of modes in the intensity distribution of the light in different portions of the spectrum. The experimental results indicate that the number of modes from statistics and the number and width of the peaks evolve differently with the parameters.

Generation of sub-Poissonian non-Gaussian states from multimode twin beams by photon-number-resolving detectors

We generate sub-Poissonian non-Gaussian conditional states from pulsed multimode twin beams (TWBs) by measuring with photon-number-resolving detectors. Links among twin-beam non-classicality and the properties of the conditional states are discussed.