We report on the use of elliptical pump spatial modes to increase the observed brightness of spontaneous parametric downconversion in critically phase matched crystals. Simulations qualitatively predict this improvement which depends on the eccentricity and orientation of the pump ellipse. We experimentally confirm a factor of two improvement in brightness when compared to the traditional circular-symmetric pump spatial modes. These results support previous theoretical work that proposes the use of elliptical pump modes to enhance the performance of parametric processes in anisotropic materials.
@article{arxiv.1907.13352,
title = {Enhancing SPDC brightness using elliptical pump shapes},
author = {Aitor Villar and Arian Stolk and Alexander Lohrmann and Alexander Ling},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1907.13352},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
4 pages for main text, 2 pages for appendices.4 figures (including appendices)