Quantum nonlinear parametric interaction in realistic waveguides: a comprehensive study

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive modeling framework that integrates classical design tools with quantum theory to analyze how fabrication imperfections impact nonlinear quantum light sources in integrated waveguides.

Contribution

It introduces a novel modeling approach that accounts for realistic fabrication errors and their effects on quantum nonlinear interactions in waveguides.

Findings

Fabrication errors significantly affect nonlinear optical responses.

Group-velocity dispersion critically influences quantum light generation.

Geometric inhomogeneities can disrupt nonlinear interactions.

Abstract

Nonlinear sources of quantum light are foundational to nearly all optical quantum technologies and are actively advancing toward real-world deployment. Achieving this goal requires fabrication capabilities to be scaled to industrial standards, necessitating precise modeling tools that can both guide device design within realistic fabrication constraints and enable accurate post-fabrication characterization. In this paper, we introduce a modeling framework that explicitly integrates the engineering tools used for designing classical properties of integrated waveguides with quantum mechanical theory describing the underlying nonlinear interactions. We analyze the validity and limitations of approximations relevant to this framework and apply it to comprehensively study how typical fabrication errors and deviations from nominal design -- common in practical waveguide manufacturing -- affect the nonlinear optical response. Our findings highlight, in particular, a critical sensitivity of the framework to group-velocity dispersion, the potentially disruptive role of geometric inhomogeneities in the waveguide, and an upper bound on single-mode squeezed-state generation arising from asymmetric group-velocity matching conditions.