The role of volume and surface spontaneous parametric down-conversion in the generation of photon pairs in layered media

TL;DR

This paper develops a rigorous quantum optical model for volume and surface spontaneous parametric down-conversion in layered media, using transfer-matrix formalism to analyze photon pair generation in multilayer structures.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive quantum model that accurately describes both volume and surface SPDC in layered structures with exact boundary conditions.

Findings

Identifies distinct volume and surface contributions to SPDC.

Provides a transfer-matrix based numerical analysis for multilayer structures.

Demonstrates the model with a GaN/AlN multilayer example.

Abstract

A rigorous description of volume and surface spontaneous parametric down-conversion in 1D nonlinear layered structures is developed considering exact continuity relations for the fields' amplitudes at the boundaries. The nonlinear process is described by the quantum momentum operator that provides the Heisenberg equations which solution is continuous at the boundaries. The transfer-matrix formalism is applied. The volume and surface contributions are clearly identified. Numerical analysis of a structure composed of 20 alternating GaN/AlN layers is given as an example.