There is a fundamental dimensional mismatch between the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer and two-photon (2P) states: while the latter are represented using two temporal (or spectral) dimensions, the HOM interferometer allows access to only one temporal dimension. We introduce a linear 2P interferometer containing two independent delays spanning the 2P state. By “unlocking” the fixed phase relationship between the interfering 2P probability amplitudes in a HOM interferometer, one of these probability amplitudes now serves as a delay-free 2P reference against which the other beats, thereby resolving ambiguities in 2P state identification typical of HOM interferometry and extending its utility to a large family of 2P states.
Phase-unlocked Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometry
DI GIUSEPPE, Giovanni
2013-01-01
Abstract
There is a fundamental dimensional mismatch between the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer and two-photon (2P) states: while the latter are represented using two temporal (or spectral) dimensions, the HOM interferometer allows access to only one temporal dimension. We introduce a linear 2P interferometer containing two independent delays spanning the 2P state. By “unlocking” the fixed phase relationship between the interfering 2P probability amplitudes in a HOM interferometer, one of these probability amplitudes now serves as a delay-free 2P reference against which the other beats, thereby resolving ambiguities in 2P state identification typical of HOM interferometry and extending its utility to a large family of 2P states.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
