In this paper we study the spectral (temporal) properties of heralded single photon wavepackets, triggered by the detection of an idler photon in the process of parametric downconversion. The generated single photons are studied within the framework of the chronocyclic Wigner function, from which the single photon spectral width and temporal duration can be computed. We derive specific conditions on the two-photon joint spectral amplitude which result in both pure and Fourier- transform limited heralded single photons. Likewise, we present specific source geometries which lead to the fulfilment of these conditions and show that one of these geometries leads, for a given pump bandwidth, to the temporally shortest possible heralded single photon wavepackets.
@article{arxiv.0709.3517,
title = {Generation of Fourier transform limited heralded single photons},
author = {Alfred B. U'Ren and Yasser Jeronimo-Moreno and Jose H. Garcia-Gracia},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0709.3517},
year = {2007}
}