Ultrafast all-optical switching of 3D photonic band gap crystals - art. no. 66400G

T. G. Euser, H. Wei, J. Kalkman, Y. Jun, M. Guina, S. Suomalainen, A. Polman, D. J. Norris, W. L. Vos

We present ultrafast optical switching experiments on 3D photonic band gap crystals. Switching the Si inverse opal is achieved by optically exciting free carriers by a two-photon process. We probe reflectivity in the frequency range of second order Bragg diffraction where the photonic band gap is predicted. We observe a large frequency shift of up to 1.5% of all spectral features including the peak that corresponds to the photonic band gap. We also demonstrate large, ultrafast shifts of stop bands of planar GaAs/AlAs photonic structures. We briefly discuss how our results can be used in future switching and modulation applications.

Unconditional quantum cloning of coherent states with linear optics

Ulrik L. Andersen, V Josse, Gerd Leuchs

A scheme for optimal Gaussian cloning of optical coherent states is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Its optical realization is based entirely on simple linear optical elements and homodyne detection. The optimality of the presented scheme is limited only by detection inefficiencies. Experimentally, we achieved a cloning fidelity of about 65%, which almost touches the optimal value of 2/3.

Quantum information with continuous variables

SL Braunstein, P van Loock

Quantum information is a rapidly advancing area of interdisciplinary research. It may lead to real-world applications for communication and computation unavailable without the exploitation of quantum properties such as nonorthogonality or entanglement. This article reviews the progress in quantum information based on continuous quantum variables, with emphasis on quantum optical implementations in terms of the quadrature amplitudes of the electromagnetic field.

Sub-shot-noise phase quadrature measurement of intense light beams

O Glockl, Ulrik L. Andersen, S Lorenz, Christine Silberhorn, N Korolkova, Gerd Leuchs

We present a setup for performing sub-shot-noise measurements of the phase quadrature of intense pulsed light without the use of a separate local oscillator. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer with an unbalanced arm length is used to detect the fluctuations of the phase quadrature at a single sideband frequency. With this setup, the nonseparability of a pair of quadrature-entangled beams is demonstrated experimentally. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.

Anomalous pulse breakup in small-core photonic crystal fibers

A. Podlipensky, P. Szarniak, N. Y. Joly, P. St. J. Russell

Detailed numerical and experimental studies of propagation of 110 fs laser pulses at 800 am in small-core photonic crystal fibers (gamma = 100 W (1) km(-1)) reveal that pulse breakup occurs in two distinct regimes defined by the input power. At low peak power (soliton order N <= g7) higher-order soliton fission occurs: individual solitons being ejected from the input pulse one after the other and are at-ranged in wavelength and in time by peak power. At higher levels of peak power (N>8), pulse breakup results in ejection of bound soliton pairs and the formation of single solitons that collide during propagation. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Guided acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in photonic crystal fibers

D. Elser, Ch Wittmann, U. L. Andersen, O. Gloeckl, S. Lorenz, Ch Marquardt, G. Leuchs

In silica glass fibers, thermally excited acoustic phonons scatter light into the beam propagating in the forward direction. At acoustic frequencies up to several hundreds of megahertz, the wave vectors of the phonons interacting with the light propagate essentially transversally to the fiber axis. This effect is known as Guided Acoustic Wave Brillouin Scattering (GAWBS) and leads to phase and polarization noise in the guided light. For fiber-based quantum optics experiments, this excess noise is a major limitation. In Photonic Crystal Fibers (PCFs), light is guided by a microstructure simultaneously acting as a 2D transversal phononic crystal which modifies the acoustic noise spectrum. We demonstrate a GAWBS-noise reduction in commercially available PCFs. This gives rise to the prospect of fiber-based quantum optic devices exhibiting less excess noise, thus resulting in higher quantum state purity. Further improvement can be achieved by tailoring the photonic microstructure such that a reduction of phonon noise by design is achieved.

Scintillation properties of dark hollow beams in a weak turbulent atmosphere

Y. Chen, Y. Cai, H. T. Eyyuboglu, Y. Baykal

The on-axis scintillation index for a circular dark hollow beam (DHB) propagating in a weak turbulent atmosphere is formulated, and the scintillation properties of a DHB are investigated in detail. The scintillation index for a DHB reduces to the scintillation index for a Gaussian beam, an annular beam and a flat-topped beam under certain conditions. It is found that the scintillation index of a DHB is closely related to the beam parameters and can be lower than that of a Gaussian beam, an annular beam and a flat-topped beam in a weak turbulent atmosphere at smaller waist sizes and longer propagation lengths.

Intensity fluctuations in J-Bessel-Gaussian beams of all orders propagating in turbulent atmosphere

H. T. Eyyuboglu, E. Sermutlu, Y. Baykal, Y. Cai, O. Korotkova

The scintillation index of a J (n) -Bessel-Gaussian beam of any order propagating in turbulent atmosphere is derived and numerically evaluated at transverse cross-sections with the aid of a specially designed triple integral routine. The graphical outputs indicate that, just like the previously investigated J (0)-Bessel-Gaussian beam, higher-order members of the family also offer favorable scintillation characteristics at large source sizes. This advantage is maintained against rising beam orders. Viewed along the propagation axis, beams with lower orders and smaller widths exhibit smaller values of the scintillation index at shorter propagation distances and large values at longer propagation distances. Further, it is shown that the scintillation index of the J (n) -Bessel-Gaussian beams (n > 0) is larger than that of the fundamental Gaussian and the J (0)-Bessel-Gaussian beams only near the on-axis points, while remaining smaller towards the edges of the beam.

Microdeflectometry - a novel tool to acquire three-dimensional microtopography with nanometer height resolution

Gerd Haeusler, Claus Richter, Karl-Heinz Leitz, Markus C. Knauer

We introduce "microdeflectometry," a novel technique for measuring the microtopography of specular surfaces. The primary data are the local slope of the surface under test. Measuring the slope instead of the height implies high information efficiency and extreme sensitivity to local shape irregularities. The lateral resolution can be better than 1 mu m, whereas the resulting height resolution is in the range of 1 nm. Microdeflectometry can be supplemented by methods to expand the depth of field, with the potential to provide quantitative 3D imaging with scanning-electron-microscope-like features. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.

Anyon statistics with continuous variables

Jing Zhang, Changde Xie, Kunchi Peng, Peter van Loock

We describe a continuous-variable scheme for simulating the Kitaev lattice model and for detecting statistics of Abelian anyons. The corresponding quantum optical implementation is solely based upon Gaussian resource states and Gaussian operations, hence allowing for a highly efficient creation, manipulation, and detection of anyons. This approach extends our understanding of the control and application of anyons and it leads to the possibility for experimental proof-of-principle demonstrations of anyonic statistics using continuous-variable systems.