Characterization of a remote optical element with bi-photons
- We present a simple setup that exploits the interference of entangled photon pairs. 'Signal' photons are sent through a Mach–Zehnder-like interferometer, while 'idlers' are detected in a variable polarization state. Two-photon interference (in coincidence detection) is observed with very high contrast and for significant time delays between signal and idler detection events. This is explained by quantum erasure of the polarization tag and a delayed choice protocol involving a non-local virtual polarizer. The phase of the two-photon fringes is scanned by varying the path length in the signal beam or by rotating a birefringent crystal in the idler beam. We exploit this to characterize one beam splitter of the signal photon interferometer (reflection and transmission amplitudes including losses), using only information about coincidences and control parameters in the idler path. This is possible because our bi-photon state saturates the Greenberger–Yelin–Englert inequality between contrast and predictability.
Author details: | Dirk Puhlmann, Carsten HenkelORCiDGND, Axel HeuerORCiDGND, Gregor Pieplow, Ralf Menzel |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-8949/91/2/023006 |
ISSN: | 0031-8949 |
ISSN: | 1402-4896 |
Title of parent work (English): | Physica scripta : an international journal for experimental and theoretical physics |
Publisher: | IOP Publ. Ltd. |
Place of publishing: | Bristol |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2016 |
Publication year: | 2016 |
Release date: | 2020/03/22 |
Tag: | bi-photons; entanglement; quantum eraser; quantum optics |
Volume: | 91 |
Number of pages: | 7 |
First page: | 113 |
Last Page: | 114 |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
Peer review: | Referiert |