Engineering of Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with effective noise

TL;DR

This paper investigates how polarization-frequency interactions and noise affect Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, providing theoretical insights and potential applications in quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of polarization-frequency entanglement effects on Hong-Ou-Mandel interference under noise conditions.

Findings

Dephasing noise entangles polarization and frequency states.

Theoretical models predict changes in coincidence probabilities.

Applications include Bell state construction and quantum erasers.

Abstract

The Hong-Ou-Mandel effect lies at the heart of quantum interferometry, having multiple applications in the field of quantum information processing and no classical counterpart. Despite its popularity, only a few works have considered polarization-frequency interaction within the interferometer. In this paper, we fill this gap. Our system of interest is a general biphoton polarization state that experiences effective dephasing noise by becoming entangled with the same photons' frequency state, as the photons propagate through birefringent media. The photons then meet at a beam splitter, where either coincidence or bunching occurs, after which the polarization-frequency interaction continues on the output paths. Alongside performing extensive theoretical analysis on the coincidence probability and different polarization states, we outline multiple interesting applications that range from constructing Bell states to an alternative delayed choice quantum eraser.