Complete Temporal Characterization of Single Photons

Precise information about the temporal mode of optical states is crucial for optimizing their interaction efficiency between themselves and/or with matter in various quantum communication devices. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate a method of determining both the real and imaginary components of a single photon's temporal density matrix by measuring the autocorrelation function of the photocurrent from a balanced homodyne detector at multiple local oscillator frequencies. We lay the theoretical foundation for our work and describe the experimental methods involved in detail. We show the results of testing our method on single photons heralded from bi-photons generated via four-wave mixing in an atomic vapor. We develop an appropriate theoretical model for our experimental settings and describe the involved calculations explicitly. The obtained experimental results show excellent agreement with theoretical predictions for the various settings involved.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics and Astronomy

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Prasad, Adarsh Shankar

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lvovsky, Alexander

• Physics--Atomic
• Optics

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25381

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/1731