Quantum noise suppression using quantum coupling of photon pairs

Abstract

Quantum correlations of photons in a pair will be used to suppress both classical and quantum noise in the measurement of photopulse statistics. Optical beams formed by many photon pairs with photons with correlated emission directions will be generated in the process of spontaneous descending parametric frequency conversion (SPDC). When measuring the photopulse statistics of these beams, the general Lloyd's theory of quantum noise suppression using quantum correlations will be verified. This theory will be developed for the case of measuring photopulse statistics and non-ideal quantum correlations given by spatial correlations of photons in a pair. The principal quantum limits of this universal scheme for quantum noise reduction will be found. The focus of the project lies in the experimental parts where the knowledge about spatial correlations of photon pairs provided by matrix detectors with single photon sensitivity (iCCD and EM-CCD cameras) will be used. The developed method will then be used to determine the absolute quantum efficiency of the detector and the generation of nonclassical states of light (with sub-Possonian and super-Poisson photopulse statistics).