High-sensitivity quantum sensing with pump-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion
Abstract
Recent years have seen the development of quantum sensing concepts utilizing nonlinear interferometers based on correlated photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). Using SPDC far from frequency degeneracy allows a 'division of labor' between the mid-infrared photon for strongest sample interaction and the correlated near-infrared photon for low-noise detection. The small number of photons provided by SPDC and the resulting inferior signal-to-noise ratio are, however, a limiting factor preventing wide applicability of the novel sensing concept. Here, we demonstrate a nonlinear interferometer based on pump-enhanced SPDC with strongly improved emission rates, but maintaining broadband, spontaneous emission. For validation of the concept, we demonstrate high-resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy with near-infrared detection, showcasing the improved accuracy. Although the number of mid-infrared photons is about five orders of magnitude smaller than in classical spectrometers, the sensitivity of the quantum spectrometer becomes comparable, marking an essential step toward real-world applications.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2208.07595,
title = {High-sensitivity quantum sensing with pump-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion},
author = {Chiara Lindner and Jachin Kunz and Simon J. Herr and Jens Kiessling and Sebastian Wolf and Frank Kühnemann},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2208.07595},
year = {2022}
}