Heralded Generation of Vectorially Structured Photons With a High Purity

• Main Authors: Hai-Jun Wu, Bing-Shi Yu, Zhi-Han Zhu, Carmelo Rosales-Guzmán, Zhi-Yuan Zhou, Dong-Sheng Ding, Wei Gao, Bao-Sen Shi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-04-01
• Series: Frontiers in Physics
• Subjects: vector spatial modes; photonic spin-orbit coupling; single photons; structured light; SLM
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.654451/full

Engineering vector spatial modes of photons is an important approach for manipulating high-dimension photonic states in various quantum optical experiments. In this work, we demonstrate the generation of heralded single photons with well-defined vector spatial modes by using a self-stable polarizing interferometer comprising a spatial light modulator. Specifically, it is shown that, by carefully tailoring and compensating the spatial and temporal amplitudes of manipulated photons, one can exactly convert ultrafast single photons into desired spin-orbit states with an extremely high purity. This compact and robust device provides a versatile way for not only the generation, but also the manipulation and characterization of arbitrary photonic spin-orbit states.