Interferometer Input Research Articles

Scattershot multiboson correlation sampling with random photonic inner-mode multiplexing

Multiphoton interference is an essential phenomenon at the very heart not only of fundamental quantum optics and applications in quantum information processing and sensing but also of demonstrations of quantum computational supremacy in boson sampling experiments relying only on linear optical interferometers. However, scalable boson sampling experiments with either photon number states or squeezed states are challenged by the need to generate a large number of photons with fixed temporal and frequency spectra from one experimental run to another. Unfortunately, even the well-established standard multiplexing techniques employed to generate photons with fixed spectral properties are affected by the detrimental effects of losses, spectral distorsions and reduction in purity. Here, we employ sampling correlation measurements in the photonic inner modes, time and frequency, at the interferometer input and output to ensure the occurrence of multiphoton interference even with pure states of input photons with random spectral overlap from one sample to another. Indeed, by introducing a random multiplexing technique where photons are generated with random inner-mode parameters, it is possible to substantially enhance the probability to successfully generate samples and overcome the typical drawbacks in standard multiplexing. We also demonstrate the classical hardness of the resulting problem of scattershot multiboson correlation sampling based on this technique. Therefore, these results not only shed new light in the computational complexity of multiboson interference but also allow us to enhance the experimental scalability of boson sampling schemes. Furthermore, this research provides a new exciting route toward future demonstrations of quantum computational supremacy with scalable experimental resources as well as future applications in quantum information processing and sensing beyond boson sampling.

Squeezing-enhanced parameter estimation with a hybrid spin-oscillator interferometer

Inspired by the recent work [Nature (London) 521, 336 (2015)], we propose a scheme to suppress the backaction-induced dephasing of the spin state in a spin-oscillator system by squeezing the quantum fluctuation of the two-mode oscillator. We show specifically that squeezing either on a single mode individually or on both modes simultaneously could be used to effectively suppress spin dephasing. Therefore, with a spin-oscillator interferometer input by the spin-dependent squeezing cat state, the sensitivity of the rotational parameter estimation can be significantly enhanced. Given that various squeezings on the two-mode vibrations of the oscillator have been experimentally demonstrated, the proposal could provide a possibility to implement the sensitive parameter estimation, particularly in the ion-trap system.

Passively stabilized single-photon interferometer

A single-photon interferometer is a fundamental element in quantum information science. In most previously reported works, single-photon interferometers use an active feedback locking system to stabilize the relative phase between two arms of the interferometer. Here, we use a pair of beam displacers to construct a passively stable single-photon interferometer. The relative phase stabilization between the two arms is achieved by stabilizing the temperature of the beam displacers. A purely polarized single-photon-level pulse is directed into the interferometer input port. By analyzing and measuring the polarization states of the single-photon pulse at the output port, the achieved polarization fidelity of the interferometer is about 99.1±0.1%. Our passively stabilized single-photon interferometer provides a key element for generating high-fidelity entanglement between a photon and atomic memory.

Disturbance location and pattern recognition of a distributed optical fiber sensor based on dual-Michelson interferometers.

A distributed fiber optic sensor based on dual-Michelson interferometers for disturbance localization and pattern recognition is proposed. The system obtains the phase difference of each of the two interferometers using a passive demodulating algorithm based on a 3×3 coupler. Two correlation signals with disturbance position information are obtained by delaying and subtracting the phase difference signals through which the disturbance location can be obtained. This method has the same frequency response over the whole sensing path, and there is no localization blind spot. The pattern recognition method of this sensing system is to obtain the spectral signal by fast Fourier transform of the demodulated interferometer phase information and input it as a feature vector into a one-dimensional convolutional neural network to verify the correct rate of pattern recognition for four behaviors: stepping, shearing, sweeping, and shaking. The total transmission distance of the system can reach 100 km; the location errors are within ±35m, and the correct rate of four pattern recognitions is higher than 97%. The sensing system has good polarization stability, which can ensure the stability of long-term operation and has a broad application prospect in long-distance perimeter security.

Quantum-enhanced stochastic phase estimation with the SU(1,1) interferometer

Quantum stochastic phase estimation has many applications in the precise measurement of various physical parameters. Similar to the estimation of a constant phase, there is a standard quantum limit for stochastic phase estimation, which can be obtained with the Mach–Zehnder interferometer and coherent input state. Recently, it has been shown that the stochastic standard quantum limit can be surpassed with nonclassical resources such as squeezed light. However, practical methods to achieve quantum enhancement in the stochastic phase estimation remain largely unexplored. Here we propose a method utilizing the SU(1,1) interferometer and coherent input states to estimate a stochastic optical phase. As an example, we investigate the Ornstein–Uhlenback stochastic phase. We analyze the performance of this method for three key estimation problems: prediction, tracking, and smoothing. The results show significant reduction of the mean square error compared with the Mach–Zehnder interferometer under the same photon number flux inside the interferometers. In particular, we show that the method with the SU(1,1) interferometer can achieve fundamental quantum scaling, achieve stochastic Heisenberg scaling, and surpass the precision of the canonical measurement.

Interferometrically estimating a quadratic form for any immanant of a matrix and its permutations

We devise a multiphoton interferometry scheme for sampling a quadratic function of a specific immanant for any submatrix of a unitary matrix and its row permutations. The full unitary matrix describes a passive, linear interferometer, and its submatrix is used when photons enter in and are detected at subsets of possible input and output channels. Immanants are mathematical constructs that interpolate between the permanent and determinant; contrary to determinants and permanents, which have meaningful physical applications, immanants are devoid of physical meaning classically but here are shown to be meaningful in a quantum setting. Our quadratic form of immanants is sampled by injecting vacuum and single photons into interferometer input ports such that the photon arrival times are entangled, in contrast to previous methods that control arrival times without entangling. Our method works for any number of photons, and we solve explicitly the quadratic form for the two-, three- and four-photon cases.

Permutational symmetries for coincidence rates in multimode multiphotonic interferometry

We obtain coincidence rates for passive optical interferometry by exploiting the permutational symmetries of partially distinguishable input photons, and our approach elucidates qualitative features of multiphoton coincidence landscapes. We treat the interferometer input as a product state of any number of photons in each input mode with photons distinguished by their arrival time. Detectors at the output of the interferometer count photons from each output mode over a long integration time. We generalize and prove the claim of Tillmann et al. [Phys. Rev. X 5, 041015 (2015)] that coincidence rates can be elegantly expressed in terms of immanants. Immanants are functions of matrices that exhibit permutational symmetries and the immanants appearing in our coincidence-rate expressions share permutational symmetries with the input state. Our results are obtained by employing representation theory of the symmetric group to analyze systems of an arbitrary number of photons in arbitrarily sized interferometers.

Heisenberg-limited metrology with information recycling

Information recycling has been shown to improve the sensitivity of atom interferometers by exploiting atom-light entanglement. In this paper, we apply information recycling to an interferometer where the input quantum state has been partially transferred from some donor system. We demonstrate that when the quantum state of this donor system is from a particular class of number-correlated Heisenberg-limited states, information recycling yields a Heisenberg-limited phase measurement. Crucially, this result holds irrespective of the fraction of the quantum state transferred to the interferometer input and also for a general class of number-conserving quantum-state-transfer processes, including ones that destroy the first-order phase coherence between the branches of the interferometer. This result could have significant applications in Heisenberg-limited atom interferometry, where the quantum state is transferred from a Heisenberg-limited photon source, and in optical interferometry where the loss can be monitored.

Equations for Two-Tone Analog Optical Phase Modulation With an Asymmetric Interferometer

Analytical research is presented for electro-optic phase modulation followed by an asymmetric interferometer that is used for phase-to-intensity conversion. The resulting closed-form equations quantify the performance for arbitrary interferometer bias and input radio-frequency power. Even-order distortions, very important for multi-octave applications, are analyzed. Measured data for a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) are demonstrated to agree well with the theoretical results. Photodiode-induced even-order distortion is identified as the limiting nonlinearity when the MZI is biased at quadrature.

Stochastic method for determining the coherence length of a TEA CO2 laser

Abstract In this work the results of the measurement of the coherence length of a TEA CO 2 laser developed in DEILAP are presented. A Michelson interferometer of about 5 m of optical path length difference was built for this purpose. A motorized translation optical mount was placed in one arm in order to enable the variation of the optical path length in many wavelengths. The length of the other arm was varied manually in steps of several tens of centimeters. Spatial filtering forced the laser to oscillate in a single transverse mode, TEM 00 . An innovative stochastic technique for data analysis allowed determining the amount of longitudinal modes, the amplitude and the individual average coherence length of each mode as well as the global coherence length of the laser. This technique was later compared with a method based on the analysis of the Fourier transform of the time series obtained at the interferometer input.

Polarization and modal filters based on W-fibers Panda for fiber-optic gyroscopes and high-power fiber lasers

Polarizing Panda-type W-fibers, practical realizations are presented for fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) sensing coil (500-m length, 8-μm fundamental mode field diameter) and for polarization/modal filtering at the FOG loop interferometer input (∼1-m length, 10-μm fundamental mode field diameter). Using these fibers, two different mathematical models for light propagation are tested and applied for further dichroism spectral band spreading of polarizing W-fibers with fundamental mode field diameter (MFD) of 6 to 10 μm for FOG coil and at least with MFD=8 to 10 μm for input filtering in loop interferometer. Also, some fibers with large MFD are considered, which may be useful for high-power fiber lasers, requiring the low nonlinear effects. One is a practically realized single-mode 200-m W-fiber Panda with dichroism and MFD=12.4 μm at 1.06 μm, which is bend resistant for 60-mm diameters. For further MFD increase a straight 100-mm length modal and polarization filters are suggested with MFD=30 to 70 μm at 1.06 μm, based on a pure silica core fiber, narrow/shallow fluorine cladding, and stress-applying parts. The latter are used for core refractive index regulation by birefringence (W-profile forming), which is more precise than with core germanium doping.

Quantum states for Heisenberg-limited interferometry

The phase sensitivity of interferometers is limited by the so-called Heisenberg limit, which states that the optimum phase sensitivity is inversely proportional to the number of interfering particles $N$, a $1∕\sqrt{N}$ improvement over the standard quantum limit. We have used simulated annealing, a global optimization strategy, to systematically search for quantum interferometer input states that approach the Heisenberg-limited uncertainty in estimates of the interferometer phase shift. We compare the performance of these states to that of other nonclassical states already known to yield Heisenberg-limited uncertainty.

Low-noise adaptive optics for gravitational wave interferometers

We present the results of an adaptive optics prototype system used to test the feasibility of active control for corrections of geometrical fluctuations of a gravitational wave interferometer's input laser beam. It is shown that the efficiency of the system in correcting fluctuations extends up to 80 Hz unity gain frequency and that the upper limit of reintroduced noise is within the Virgo interferometer requirements.

Intracavity Rayleigh-Mie scattering for multipoint, two-component velocity measurement

A simultaneous multipoint, two-component Doppler velocimeter is described. The system uses two optical cavities: a Fabry-Perot etalon and an optical cavity for collecting and recirculating the Rayleigh-Mie-scattered light that is collected from the measurement volume in two parallel but opposite directions. Single-pulse measurements of two orthogonal components of the velocity vector in a supersonic free jet were performed to demonstrate the technique. The recirculation of the light rejected by the interferometer input mirror also increased the signal intensity by a factor of 3.5.

Microstructured fibers for broadband wavefront filtering in the mid-IR

The European Space Agency's space-based Darwin mission aims to directly detect extrasolar Earth-like planets using nulling interferometry. However, in order to accomplish this using current optical technology, the interferometer input beams must be filtered to remove local wavefront errors. Although short lengths of single-mode fiber are ideal wavefront filters, Darwin's operating wavelength range of 4 - 20 microm presents real challenges for optical fiber technology. In addition to the fact that step-index fibers only offer acceptable coupling efficiency over about one octave of optical bandwidth, very few suitable materials are transparent within this wavelength range. Microstructured optical fibers offer two unique properties that hold great promise for this application; they can be made from a single-material and offer endlessly single-mode guidance. Here we explore the advantages of using a microstructured fiber as a broadband wavefront filter for 4 - 20 microm.

Simple interferometric technique for generation of a radially polarized light beam

We present a theoretical and experimental investigation of an interferometric technique for converting a linearly polarized Gaussian beam into a radially polarized doughnut beam. The experimental setup accomplishes the coherent summation of two orthogonally polarized TEM01 and TEM10 beams that are obtained from the transformation of a TEM00 beam by use of a simple binary diffractive optical element. We have shown that the degree of radial polarization is maximum at a given distance from the interferometer output port that depends on the diameter of the incident beam at the interferometer input port.

Analysis of a quantum nondemolition speed-meter interferometer

In the quest to develop viable designs for third-generation optical interferometric gravitational-wave detectors (e.g. LIGO-III and EURO), one strategy is to monitor the relative momentum or speed of the test-mass mirrors, rather than monitoring their relative position. This paper describes and analyzes the most straightforward design for a {\it speed meter interferometer} that accomplishes this -- a design (due to Braginsky, Gorodetsky, Khalili and Thorne) that is analogous to a microwave-cavity speed meter conceived by Braginsky and Khalili. A mathematical mapping between the microwave speed meter and the optical interferometric speed meter is developed and is used to show (in accord with the speed being a Quantum Nondemolition [QND] observable) that {\it in principle} the interferometric speed meter can beat the gravitational-wave standard quantum limit (SQL) by an arbitrarily large amount, over an arbitrarily wide range of frequencies, and can do so without the use of squeezed vacuum or any auxiliary filter cavities at the interferometer's input or output. However, {\it in practice}, to reach or beat the SQL, this specific speed meter requires exorbitantly high input light power. The physical reason for this is explored, along with other issues such as constraints on performance due to optical dissipation. This analysis forms a foundation for ongoing attempts to develop a more practical variant of an interferometric speed meter and to combine the speed meter concept with other ideas to yield a promising LIGO-III/EURO interferometer design that entails low laser power.

Stabilization of interferometric response using a polarization scrambler

This paper shows, theoretically and experimentally, how a polarization scrambler increases the response stability of a fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer. We have studied the situation when the scrambler is placed in one of the interferometer branches and also when it is placed at the interferometer input. The measurements carried out using a scrambler based on the Faraday effect, agree with the simulation results.

Nonclassical interferometry with intelligent light.

We study the phase sensitivity of SU(2) and SU(1,1) interferometers fed by two-mode field states which are intelligent states for Hermitian generators of the SU(2) and SU(1,1) groups, respectively. Intelligent states minimize uncertainty relations and this makes possible an essential reduction of the quantum noise in interferometers. Exact closed expressions for the minimum detectable phase shift are obtained in terms of the Jacobi polynomials. These expressions are compared with results for some conventional input states, and some known results for the squeezed input states are reviewed. It is shown that the phase sensitivity for an interferometer that employs squeezing-producing active devices (such as four-wave mixers) should be analyzed in two regimes: (i) fixed input state and variable interferometer, and (ii) fixed interferometer and variable input state. The behavior of the phase sensitivity is essentially different in these two regimes. The use of the SU(2) intelligent states allows us to achieve a phase sensitivity of order $1/\bar{N}$ (where $\bar{N}$ is the total number of photons passing through the phase shifters of the interferometer) without adding four-wave mixers. This avoids the duality in the behavior of the phase sensitivity that occurs for the squeezed input. On the other hand, the SU(1,1) intelligent states have the property of achieving the phase sensitivity of order $1/\bar{N}$ in both regimes.

Integrated AlGaAs waveguide components for optical phase difference measurement and correction

A Y-junction interferometer phase measurement technique has been developed that is independent of the power or power ratio in the input arms. This technique was incorporated into a proof-of-concept AlGaAs guided-wave Mach-Zehnder interferometer to demonstrate the measurement and correction of a phase difference between the arms. In the first part of this paper, we describe the design, fabrication, and characterization of the individual AlGaAs dielectric-loaded rib waveguide components that were chosen to fabricate the proof-of-concept interferometer. These components include passive waveguides, bends and Y-junctions, and reverse-biased phase modulators. The composition of the waveguide layer was chosen so that these modulators would have low loss at the applied voltage required for maximum phase correction. The choice was based on electroabsorption measurements on test modulators as a function of the energy difference between the bandgap of the waveguide layer and the operating wavelength. The average propagation loss at 862 nm of the passive single-mode guides used was 1.1 dB/cm. The abrupt bend insertion loss was /spl sim/0.20 dB/bend for a 0.5/spl deg/ bend angle, and the Y-junction insertion loss was /spl sim/0.37 dB for 1.0/spl deg/ full angle. Two-mm-long p/sup +/-n/sup -/-n/sup +/ phase modulators typically had V/sub /spl pi voltages of /spl sim/6.8 V. On a slightly modified structure, V/sub /spl pi voltages as low as 2.65 V were measured. In the last part of the paper, the proof-of-concept interferometer and test setup are described and recent phase difference measurement and correction data with intentional power imbalances greater than 90% between the interferometer arms are presented. These results demonstrate conclusively that the phase difference measurement and correction performance of the Y-junction interferometer technique are independent of the power ratio in the interferometer input arms for power ratios >10:1.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>