Storage and retrieval of vector beams of light in a multiple-degree-of-freedom quantum memory

Abstract

The full structuration of light in the transverse plane, including intensity, phase and polarization, holds the promise of unprecedented capabilities for applications in classical optics as well as in quantum optics and information sciences. Harnessing special topologies can lead to enhanced focusing, data multiplexing or advanced sensing and metrology. Here we experimentally demonstrate the storage of such spatio-polarization-patterned beams into an optical memory. A set of vectorial vortex modes is generated via liquid crystal cell with topological charge in the optic axis distribution, and preservation of the phase and polarization singularities is demonstrated after retrieval, at the single-photon level. The realized multiple-degree-of-freedom memory can find applications in classical data processing but also in quantum network scenarios where structured states have been shown to provide promising attributes, such as rotational invariance.

Polarization-based control of spin-orbit vector modes of light in biphoton interference

“…We expect the tunable vector mode polarization and spatial field distributions predicted and demonstrated in this work to have a variety of applications to the field of light-matter interactions, ranging from the design of dynamic optical tweezers using focussed vector beams [19], to the impartation of information contained in structured light onto atomic systems [29,30], both at the single-photon level and for path-entangled biphoton states in structured vector modes.…”

“…Furthermore, the nonseparable nature of vector beams has allowed for experiments realizing local classical optics analogs to nonlocal quantum effects [22], including classical analogues to violations of Bell-like inequalities [23], the Hardy test [24], and quantum teleportation [25]. Within the purview of quantum optics and information, vector beams have been employed to demonstrate remote state preparation [26], various forms of hybrid entanglement [27,28], spatially dependent electromagnetically induced transparency [29], and a multiple-degree-of-freedom quantum memory at the single-photon level [30]. In this context, the study of path-entangled biphoton states in which each photon's field mode is of the nonseparable type provides a natural direction of pursuit which has yet to be fully explored.…”

Generation of Radial Polarized Lorentz Beam with Single Layer Metasurface

“…Artificially tailored wavefronts with such attributes can produce additional degrees of freedom that offer many novel applications in optical microscopy, [1,2] optical microfabrication, [3] and quantum information processing. [4] Various complex light field beams have been investigated, such as the radially polarized Lorentz-Gauss vortex beam [5] and the radially polarized Laguerre-Bessel-Gaussian beam. [6] Radially polarized beams have become an active research topic over the years because of their specific focusing characteristics [7,8] and potential applications in super resolution [9,10] and particle manipulation, [6] www.advopticalmat.…”

Vortex-based all-optical manipulation of stored light at low light levels

“…In recent years, control over multimode optical fields, including images and optical vortices, in coherent media has begun to attract increasing interest because such studies may pave a possible way for parallel optical information processing with high density and speed [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. To encode multidimensional quantum information into photons, optical vortex fields bearing orbital angular momentum (OAM) are believed to be a promising candidate [35][36][37].…”