On-Demand Photon Pairs: Entanglement or Necessity?

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In summary, the conversation discusses the search for on-demand photon pairs, where the photons are identical in all respects except their direction, polarization, and frequency. It is noted that most publications about this topic involve entangled pairs, but the speaker is interested in non-entangled pairs with correlated values in terms of an additional degree of freedom. The options of whether entangled pairs are more useful or if there is a theoretical constraint are discussed, with the answer being that entangled pairs are more useful. The conversation also mentions a paper that uses two down-conversion crystals to get overlapping photon pairs, and the importance of frequency and polarization in these experiments is highlighted. The concept of Fock states is also briefly mentioned as being of interest in this context
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Swamp Thing
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When I search for "on demand photon pairs" I find that most publications are about entangled pairs.

I found no papers and articles about on-demand pairs where the photons are identical in all respects except their direction, and whose polarization & frequency are the same across pairs and within pairs. It always seems to involve one other parameter (e.g. polarization) whose value is random from pair to pair, but is correlated across each pair.

Just wondering whether this is because
(A) entangled on-demand pairs are more useful and interesting than non-entangled ones

OR

(B) because there is some theoretical constraint that makes it necessary that they should have an additional degree of freedom (apart from direction) and that they should have correlated values in that degree of freedom.
 
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  • #2
If I understand what you are looking for, the answer is "B".
A particle with a known attribute (such as spin orientation) and its exact duplicate cannot exist.
 
  • #3
Swamp Thing said:
Just wondering whether this is because
(A) entangled on-demand pairs are more useful and interesting than non-entangled ones

OR

(B) because there is some theoretical constraint that makes it necessary that they should have an additional degree of freedom (apart from direction) and that they should have correlated values in that degree of freedom.
It's option A. Look at this paper Entangled photons, nonlocality and Bell inequalities in the undergraduate laboratory
They are using two down-conversion crystals to get overlapping HH and VV pairs. If you would use just one crystal you would get HH or VV pairs only.
 
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zonde said:
It's option A. Look at this paper Entangled photons, nonlocality and Bell inequalities in the undergraduate laboratory
They are using two down-conversion crystals to get overlapping HH and VV pairs. If you would use just one crystal you would get HH or VV pairs only.

Thanks.
So, for the Type-1 process, we get all photon pairs with their polarizations matching the pump beam. No polarization entanglement. And when we pre-select pairs traveling out in specific directions, we get rid of the spatial (mode) entanglement as well. What about frequency? From the article, it seems highly likely that all photons have to be the same frequency, but the authors don't make this clear.
 
  • #5
Oh, OK, they have red filters before both detectors. So I guess the frequencies are all the same.
 
  • #6
Swamp Thing said:
Thanks.
So, for the Type-1 process, we get all photon pairs with their polarizations matching the pump beam. No polarization entanglement. And when we pre-select pairs traveling out in specific directions, we get rid of the spatial (mode) entanglement as well. What about frequency? From the article, it seems highly likely that all photons have to be the same frequency, but the authors don't make this clear.

A couple of points about Type I. These pairs are normally frequency/wavelength entangled. The formula is f1 + f2 = k where k is the frequency of the source laser (which is essentially constant).

They may or may not be polarization entangled, it depends on the specific setup. If there are 2 crystals positioned orthogonal to each other, they will be polarization entangled. Sometimes that is not necessary for an experiment, and then only 1 crystal is needed.
 
  • #7
About the original post. Such states mostly considered within the context of Fock states. For instance, the first paper that Google returns after 'generation fock states' search

Generation of Fock states in a superconducting quantum circuit

Fock states are interesting on their own, regardless entanglement.
 

Related to On-Demand Photon Pairs: Entanglement or Necessity?

1. What are on-demand photon pairs?

On-demand photon pairs are two photons that are created simultaneously and are entangled, meaning their properties are linked and dependent on each other. They are created using special materials or processes, such as nonlinear crystals or spontaneous parametric down-conversion.

2. What is entanglement?

Entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become connected in a way that their properties are linked and cannot be described independently. This means that measuring one particle can affect the state of the other, even if they are physically separated.

3. Why are on-demand photon pairs important?

On-demand photon pairs are important because they can be used in various quantum technologies, such as quantum computing and quantum communication. Their on-demand nature allows for better control and manipulation, making them useful for practical applications.

4. How are on-demand photon pairs created?

On-demand photon pairs are created using special materials or processes, such as nonlinear crystals or spontaneous parametric down-conversion. These methods involve using a high-energy photon to split into two lower energy photons, which are entangled and created at the same time.

5. Are on-demand photon pairs necessary for quantum technologies?

No, on-demand photon pairs are not necessary for quantum technologies, but they can greatly enhance their performance and capabilities. On-demand photon pairs provide a more controlled and efficient way of creating entangled photons, which is crucial for applications such as quantum communication and quantum cryptography.

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