Spatial and temporal characteristics of spontaneous parametric down-conversion with varying focal planes of interacting beams

Abstract

Abstract Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) is a widely used process to prepare entangled photon pairs. In SPDC, a second-order nonlinear crystal is pumped by a coherent laser beam to generate photon pairs. The photon pairs are usually detected by single-mode fibers (SMF), where only photons in a Gaussian mode can be collected. The collection modes possess typical Gaussian parameters, namely a beam waist and a focal plane position. The collection efficiency of photons highly depends on the choice of both parameters. The exact focal plane position of the pump beam relative to those of the detection modes is difficult to determine in a real experiment. Usually, theoretical and experimental studies assume that the focal plane positions of the pump and the generated beams are positioned in the center of the crystal. The displacement of beam focal planes can lead to deviations from expected results and the coupling efficiency into SMF can decrease. In this study, we theoretically examine variable positions of focal planes in the Laguerre–Gaussian basis, a popular experimental modal decomposition of the spatial biphoton state. We explore how the choice of focal plane positions affects the spatial and temporal properties and the purity of the photon pairs. We present SPDC setups where precise knowledge of the focal plane position is essential and scenarios where focal plane displacements have negligible impact on experimental outcomes. Graphical Abstract