Liquid crystals as new tunable sources of entangled photon pairs

Aljaž Kavčič; Vitaliy Sultanov; Emmanouil Kokkinakis; Nerea Sebastián; Maria V. Chekhova; Matjaž Humar

doi:10.1117/12.3023811

2 August 2024 Liquid crystals as new tunable sources of entangled photon pairs

Aljaž Kavčič, Vitaliy Sultanov, Emmanouil Kokkinakis, Nerea Sebastián, Maria V. Chekhova, Matjaž Humar

Proceedings Volume 13106, Photonics for Quantum 2024; 1310603 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3023811
Event: Photonics for Quantum, 2024, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Entangled photon pair sources relying on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) are an essential ingredient for optical quantum technologies. Currently, the vast majority of SPDC sources is based on solid-state crystals. However, their rigid nature implies a careful design of the source as well as it limits the two-photon state that can be generated, without much possibility of tuning it. Here, we demonstrate a new generation of efficient, highly tunable sources of entangled photons based on recently discovered liquid crystal materials called ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals (FNLC). In addition to other highly desirable properties that liquid crystals possess, such as the ability to self-assemble into complex structures, strong response to the electric field and integrability into complex optical systems, FNLCs also possess considerable optical nonlinearity. This, as we demonstrate, enables also efficient SPDC generation and opens the door for promising new functionalities in quantum technologies. This work demonstrates the first-ever realization of SPDC in soft, organic matter, with the possibility of controlling the molecular order and thus tuning the two-photon polarization state. We show that almost any polarization state can be generated by simply adjusting the twist of the molecular orientation along the sample. Additionally, by applying only a few volts, we can drastically alter both the emission rate and the generated state of photon pairs, which enables real-time tunability. Developed concepts could lead to complex multi-pixel devices generating quantum light with real time tunability and therefore hold the potential to have a huge impact in the field of quantum technologies.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Aljaž Kavčič, Vitaliy Sultanov, Emmanouil Kokkinakis, Nerea Sebastián, Maria V. Chekhova, and Matjaž Humar "Liquid crystals as new tunable sources of entangled photon pairs", Proc. SPIE 13106, Photonics for Quantum 2024, 1310603 (2 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3023811

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