Coupling undetected sensing modes by quantum erasure

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel quantum eraser-based setup that seamlessly couples two undetected sensing modes in imaging with undetected photons, enhancing control and optimization of interference effects.

Contribution

It presents a new polarization quantum eraser approach that unifies and extends existing imaging schemes with undetected photons, supported by experimental validation.

Findings

Excellent agreement between experiment and theory in the low-gain regime

Continuous transition between IC-IUP and NI-IUP demonstrated

Quantum erasure used to optimize interference in undetected photon imaging

Abstract

The effect known as ``induced coherence without induced emission'' has spawned a field dedicated to imaging with undetected photons (IUP), where photons from two distinct photon-pair sources interfere if their outputs are made indistinguishable. The indistinguishability is commonly achieved in two setups. Induced coherence IUP (IC-IUP) has only the idler photons from the first source passing through the second, whilst nonlinear interferometry (NI-IUP) has both signal and idler photons from the first source passing through the second and can be simpler to implement. In both cases, changes in the idler path between sources can be detected by measuring the interference fringes in the signal path in a way that allows image information to be moved between different wavelengths. Here we model and implement a novel setup that uses a polarization state quantum eraser approach to move continuously between IC-IUP and NI-IUP operation. We find excellent agreement between experiment and theory in the low-gain or quantum regime. The system also provides a new route for optimizing IUP interference by using controllable quantum erasure to balance the interferometer.