Quantum delocalization in photon-pair generation

Kayn A. Forbes, Jack S. Ford, Garth A. Jones, and David L. Andrews
Phys. Rev. A 96, 023850 – Published 23 August 2017

Abstract

The generation of correlated photon pairs is a key to the production of entangled quantum states, which have a variety of applications within the area of quantum information. In spontaneous parametric down-conversion—the primary method of generating correlated photon pairs—the associated photon annihilation and creation events are generally thought of as being colocated: The correlated pair of photons is localized with regards to the pump photon and its positional origin. A detailed quantum electrodynamical analysis highlights a mechanism exhibiting the possibility of a delocalized origin for paired output photons: The spatial extent of the region from which the pair is generated can be much larger than previously thought. The theory of both localized and nonlocalized degenerate down-conversion is presented, followed by a quantitative analysis using discrete-volume computational methods. The results may have significant implications for quantum information and imaging applications, and the design of nonlinear optical metamaterials.

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  • Received 26 May 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.96.023850

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & OpticalQuantum Information, Science & Technology

Authors & Affiliations

Kayn A. Forbes, Jack S. Ford, Garth A. Jones, and David L. Andrews*

  • School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom

  • *david.andrews@physics.org

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Issue

Vol. 96, Iss. 2 — August 2017

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