Phase Matching Free Sensing with Undetected Light Using a Nonlinear Thin-Film Metasurface

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel sensing technique using undetected light via nonlinear metasurfaces, enabling ultrafast, phase-matching-free measurements with potential applications in quantum and classical sensing.

Contribution

It introduces a new method for classical sensing with undetected light using nonlinear metasurfaces and provides a theoretical model for system visibility considering bidirectional scattering.

Findings

Theoretical model accurately predicts visibility based on transmission.

Spectral analysis reveals total dispersion within the interferometer.

Demonstrates potential for ultrafast sensing with undetected photons.

Abstract

In this article, we report classical sensing with undetected light using octave spanning stimulated four-wave mixing from a plasmonic metasurface. The bidirectional nonlinear scattering due to inherent reflections from such thin nonlinear materials modifies their operation within a nonlinear interferometer. The theoretical model for visibility accounting for such bidirectionality as well as pulsed illumination accurately predicts visibility in the system as a function of transmission in the near-infrared seed (idler) arm. Spectrally resolving the visible signal emission evaluates the total dispersion within the interferometer, highlighting the prospect of ultrafast sensing with undetected photons.