212 research outputs found
Integrated photonic building blocks for next-generation astronomical instrumentation II: the multimode to single mode transition
There are numerous advantages to exploiting diffraction-limited
instrumentation at astronomical observatories, which include smaller
footprints, less mechanical and thermal instabilities and high levels of
performance. To realize such instrumentation it is imperative to convert the
atmospheric seeing-limited signal that is captured by the telescope into a
diffraction-limited signal. This process can be achieved photonically by using
a mode reformatting device known as a photonic lantern that performs a
multimode to single-mode transition. With the aim of developing an optimized
integrated photonic lantern, we undertook a systematic parameter scan of
devices fabricated by the femtosecond laser direct-write technique. The devices
were designed for operation around 1.55 {\mu}m. The devices showed (coupling
and transition) losses of less than 5% for F/# 12 injection and the
total device throughput (including substrate absorption) as high as 75-80%.
Such devices show great promise for future use in astronomy.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure
Tuneable quantum interference in a 3D integrated circuit
Integrated photonics promises solutions to questions of stability,
complexity, and size in quantum optics. Advances in tunable and non-planar
integrated platforms, such laser-inscribed photonics, continue to bring the
realisation of quantum advantages in computation and metrology ever closer,
perhaps most easily seen in multi-path interferometry. Here we demonstrate
control of two-photon interference in a chip-scale 3D multi-path
interferometer, showing a reduced periodicity and enhanced visibility compared
to single photon measurements. Observed non-classical visibilities are widely
tunable, and explained well by theoretical predictions based on classical
measurements. With these predictions we extract a Fisher information
approaching a theoretical maximum, demonstrating the capability of the device
for quantum enhanced phase measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 24 figure
Multiband processing of multimode light: combining 3D photonic lanterns with waveguide Bragg gratings
The first demonstration of narrowband spectral filtering of multimode light
on a 3D integrated photonic chip using photonic lanterns and waveguide Bragg
gratings is reported. The photonic lanterns with multi-notch waveguide Bragg
gratings were fabricated using the femtosecond direct-write technique in
boro-aluminosilicate glass (Corning, Eagle 2000). Transmission dips of up to 5
dB were measured in both photonic lanterns and reference single-mode waveguides
with 10.4-mm-long gratings. The result demonstrates efficient and symmetrical
performance of each of the gratings in the photonic lantern. Such devices will
be beneficial to space-division multiplexed communication systems as well as
for units for astronomical instrumentation for suppression of the atmospheric
telluric emission from OH lines.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted to Laser & Photonics Review
Generation of heralded single photons beyond 1100 nm by spontaneous four-wave mixing in a side-stressed femtosecond laser-written waveguide
We demonstrate a monolithically integrable heralded photon source in a
femtosecond laser direct written glass waveguide. The generation of photon
pairs with a wide wavelength separation requires a concomitant large
birefringence in the normal dispersion regime. Here, by incorporation of
side-stress tracks, we produce a waveguide with a birefringence of
and propagation loss as low as 0.21 dB/cm near 980~nm. We
measure photon pairs with 300~nm wavelength separation at an internal
generation rate exceeding /s. The second order correlations
indicate that the generated photon pairs are in a strongly non-classical
regime.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Fabrication of high quality sub-micron Au gratings over large areas with pulsed laser interference lithography for SPR sensors
Metallic gratings were fabricated using high energy laser interference
lithography with a frequency tripled Nd:YAG nanosecond laser. The grating
structures were first recorded in a photosensitive layer and afterwards
transferred to an Au film. High quality Au gratings with a period of 770 nm and
peak-to-valley heights of 20-60 nm exhibiting plasmonic resonance response were
successfully designed, fabricated and characterized.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
On-chip generation of heralded photon-number states
Beyond the use of genuine monolithic integrated optical platforms, we report
here a hybrid strategy enabling on-chip generation of configurable heralded
two-photon states. More specifically, we combine two different fabrication
techniques, \textit{i.e.}, non-linear waveguides on lithium niobate for
efficient photon-pair generation and femtosecond-laser-direct-written
waveguides on glass for photon manipulation. Through real-time device
manipulation capabilities, a variety of path-coded heralded two-photon states
can be produced, ranging from product to entangled states. Those states are
engineered with high levels of purity, assessed by fidelities of 99.58\%
and 95.08\%, respectively, obtained via quantum interferometric
measurements. Our strategy therefore stands as a milestone for further
exploiting entanglement-based protocols, relying on engineered quantum states,
and enabled by scalable and compatible photonic circuits
High-performance 3D waveguide architecture for astronomical pupil-remapping interferometry
The detection and characterisation of extra-solar planets is a major theme
driving modern astronomy, with the vast majority of such measurements being
achieved by Doppler radial-velocity and transit observations. Another technique
-- direct imaging -- can access a parameter space that complements these
methods, and paves the way for future technologies capable of detailed
characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres and surfaces. However achieving
the required levels of performance with direct imaging, particularly from
ground-based telescopes which must contend with the Earth's turbulent
atmosphere, requires considerable sophistication in the instrument and
detection strategy. Here we demonstrate a new generation of photonic
pupil-remapping devices which build upon the interferometric framework
developed for the {\it Dragonfly} instrument: a high contrast waveguide-based
device which recovers robust complex visibility observables. New generation
Dragonfly devices overcome problems caused by interference from unguided light
and low throughput, promising unprecedented on-sky performance. Closure phase
measurement scatter of only has been achieved, with waveguide
throughputs of . This translates to a maximum contrast-ratio
sensitivity (between the host star and its orbiting planet) at
(1 detection) of (when a conventional
adaptive-optics (AO) system is used) or (for typical
`extreme-AO' performance), improving even further when random error is
minimised by averaging over multiple exposures. This is an order of magnitude
beyond conventional pupil-segmenting interferometry techniques (such as
aperture masking), allowing a previously inaccessible part of the star to
planet contrast-separation parameter space to be explored
Hybrid photonic circuit for multiplexed heralded single photons
A key resource for quantum optics experiments is an on-demand source of
single and multiple photon states at telecommunication wavelengths. This letter
presents a heralded single photon source based on a hybrid technology approach,
combining high efficiency periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides,
low-loss laser inscribed circuits, and fast (>1 MHz) fibre coupled
electro-optic switches. Hybrid interfacing different platforms is a promising
route to exploiting the advantages of existing technology and has permitted the
demonstration of the multiplexing of four identical sources of single photons
to one output. Since this is an integrated technology, it provides scalability
and can immediately leverage any improvements in transmission, detection and
photon production efficiencies.Comment: 5 pages, double column, 3 figure
Three-dimensional imaging of direct-written photonic structures
Third harmonic generation microscopy has been used to analyze the morphology
of photonic structures created using the femtosecond laser direct-write
technique. Three dimensional waveguide arrays and waveguide-Bragg gratings
written in fused-silica and doped phosphate glass were investigated. A
sensorless adaptive optical system was used to correct the optical aberrations
occurring in the sample and microscope system, which had a lateral resolution
of less than 500 nm. This non-destructive testing method creates volume
reconstructions of photonic devices and reveals details invisible to other
linear microscopy and index profilometry techniques.Comment: 8 pages, 3 color figures, 2 hyper-linked animation
Periodic refractive index modifications inscribed in polymer optical fibre by focussed IR femtosecond pulses
Focussed femtosecond laser pulses were used to inscribe a periodic array of modifications in the core of a polymer optical fibre. Structural and refractive-index modifications have been observed at different pulse energies using DIC microscopy
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