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Measuring spatial correlations of photon pairs by automated raster scanning with spatial light modulators
E C Paul1, M Hor-Meyll1, P H Souto Ribeiro1
1Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Caixa Postal 68528, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-972, Brazil.
Scientific Reports
|June 19, 2014
Summary
This study introduces automated measurement of twin photon coincidence counts using a phase-only spatial light modulator. The method leverages polarization dependence for phase-to-amplitude conversion and corrects for decoherence effects.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Optics
- Photonics
- Quantum Information Science
Background:
- Measuring spatial correlations in quantum optics is crucial for understanding entanglement.
- Traditional methods for measuring coincidence counts can be complex and time-consuming.
- Spatial light modulators (SLMs) offer versatile control over light wavefronts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a fully automated method for measuring transverse spatial distributions of coincidence counts between twin photon beams.
- To utilize the polarization dependence of a phase-only spatial light modulator for this measurement.
- To implement a correction procedure for polarization decoherence effects.
Main Methods:
- Employed a phase-only spatial light modulator (SLM) for automated measurement.
- Exploited the SLM's polarization dependence to convert phase patterns into amplitude patterns.
- Developed and applied a correction algorithm to mitigate errors from polarization decoherence.
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated automated measurement of spatial coincidence count distributions for twin photon beams.
- Validated the conversion of phase patterns to amplitude patterns via polarization dependence.
- Quantified and corrected for unwanted coincidence counts arising from polarization decoherence.
Conclusions:
- Phase-only SLMs provide an efficient and automated platform for characterizing spatial correlations in quantum light.
- The developed correction procedure enhances the accuracy of coincidence count measurements in the presence of decoherence.
- This technique advances the experimental toolkit for quantum optics and quantum information processing.
