PART 2 :

BALANCED HOMODYNE
DETECTION
Michael G. Raymer
Oregon Center for Optics, University of Oregon
raymer@[Link]

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OUTLINE
PART 1
1. Noise Properties of Photodetectors
2. Quantization of Light
3. Direct Photodetection and Photon Counting
PART 2
4. Balanced Homodyne Detection
5. Ultrafast Photon Number Sampling
PART 3
6. Quantum State Tomography

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DC-BALANCED HOMODYNE DETECTION I

Goal -- measure quadrature amplitudes with high
Q.E. and temporal-mode selectivity

ES = signal field (O), 1 - 1000 photons

EL = laser reference field (local oscillator) (O), 106 photons

ES (t)

E1 =
ES + E L

dt
PD

ND

BS
PD

EL (t)
d
delay

n1

E2 =
ES - EL

dt

n2

ND

E1( )(t d ) E1(+) (t) dt

E 2( )(t d ) E 2(+) (t) dt

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DC-BALANCED HOMODYNE DETECTION II

integrator circuit

dt

n1

PD

ND
PD

dt

n2

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DC-BALANCED HOMODYNE DETECTION III

S = signal amplitude; L = laser reference amplitude

dt

E
S (t)
S

BS

E
L (t)

dt

n1

n2

ND

delay

N D =

T
0

(+ )

S (r,t) = i c

v k (r,t) = Ck j u j (r) exp(i j t)

j

c 0 dt Det d x v *k (x,0,t) v m (x,0,t) = k m

T

overlap
integral

( )
(+)

dt Det d x L (x,0,t d ) S (x,0,t) + h.c.

2

a k v k (r,t)

wave-packet
modes
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DC-BALANCED HOMODYNE DETECTION IV

N D

T
0

( )

dt Det d x L (x,0,t d ) a k v k (x,0,t) + h.c.

k
wave-packet modes
2

Assume that the LO pulse is a strong coherent state of a particular

localized wave packet mode:
LO phase
(+ )

L (r,t) | | exp(i ) v L (r,t) + vacuum

L

N D ( ) = | L | ( a ei + a e i )
a = a k c 0 dt Det d 2 x v *L (x,0,t d ) v k (x,0,t) = a k= L
T

The signal field is spatially and temporally gated by the LO field,

which has a controlled shape. Where the LO is zero, that portion
of the signal is rejected. Only a single temporal-spatial wavepacket mode of the signal is detected.
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DC-BALANCED HOMODYNE DETECTION V

wave-packet
modes

(+S ) (r,t) a v L (r,t) + a k v k (r,t)

signal :
k

quadrature operators:

detected
quantity:

q = ( a + a ) / 21/2
p = (a a ) / i21/2

N D ( ) a ei + a e i
q
=
|L | 2
2

LO phase

N D ( )
q
= q cos + p sin
|L | 2
q cos sin q
=

p
sin

cos

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ULTRAFAST OPTICAL SAMPLING

Conventional Approach:
Ultrafast Time Gating of Light Intensity by
NON-LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING
strong short
pump (p )
delay

weak signal(s )

sum-frequency (p + s )

second-order NL crystal
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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING I

BHD for Ultrafast Time Gating of Quadrature Amplitudes

N D ( )
q
= q cos + p sin
|L | 2

detected
quantity:

q = ( a + a ) / 21/2

LO phase

p = (a a ) / i21/2

a = a k c 0 dt Det d 2 x v *L (x,0,t d ) v k (x,0,t) = a k= L

T

LO

signal

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING II

Ultrafast Time Gating of Quadrature Amplitudes
LO mode:

v L (x,0,t) L v L (x) f L (t d )

N D ( d ) = i c *L

T
0

dt f L* (t d ) S (t) + h.c.
(+)

S (t) = Det d x v L * (x) S (x,0,t)

2

if signal is band-limited and

LO covers the band, e.g.

f L (t) (1 / t)sin(B t / 2)

signal
LO
/2

+/2

+B /2 d
* *

N D ( d ) L f L ( ) B /2
exp(i d ) S ( ) + h.c.
2
L* fL* ( ) S ( d ) + h.c.

exact sampling
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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING III

M. E. Anderson, M. Munroe, U. Leonhardt, D. Boggavarapu, D. F. McAlister and M. G. Raymer, Proceedings of
Generation, Amplification, and Measurment of Ultrafast Laser Pulses III, pg 142-151 (OE/LASE, San Jose, Jan.
1996) (SPIE, Vol. 2701, 1996).

Ultrafast
Laser

Signal
Source

(optical or
elect. synch.)

Spectral
Filter

Signal
Signal

Reference (LO)
Time
Delay

LO
Phase
Adjustment

mean quadrature
amplitude in sampling
window at time t

Balanced
Homodyne
Detector

n1 n2
Computer

q (t)

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING IV

LO
840 nm, 170 fs
Sample: Microcavity
exciton polariton

scan LO
delay d

coherent
signal

Balanced
Homodyne
detector

q (t)

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING V

Mean Quadrature Measurement - sub ps Time Resolution

q (t)

10000

1000

100

10

0.1

0.01

-1
2

10

(t,t)

(2)

< n(t) >

mean
quadrature
amplitude
<q> at
time t

Sample: Microcavity
exciton polariton

12

Time (ps)

LO delay d (ps)
coherent field --> q + /2 (t)

= p (t)
0

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING VI

Phase Sweeping for Indirect Sampling of Mean
Photon Number and Photon Number Fluctuations

N D ( )
q
= q cos + p sin ( = LO phase)
|L | 2

detected
quantity:

Relation with photon-number operator:

1
1
2
2

n = a a = ( q i p ) ( q + i p ) = q + p +
2
2
Phase-averaged quadrature-squared:
1 2
1
1 2
2
2
2

q = 0 q d =
q
cos

+
p
sin

=
q
+
p
(
)
(
)

2
2
n = q

1
2

ensemble
average

2
n (t) = q (t)

1
2

works also for incoherent field (no fixed

phase)
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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING VII

Phase Sweeping --> Photon Number Fluctuations
detected
N D ( )
quantity: q | | 2 = q cos + p sin
L

Richters formula for Factorial Moments:

n (r )

r
r
[n(n
1)...(n

r
+
1)]
p(n)
=
(
a

)
(
a

n= 0

2 d
(r!) 2
= r
H 2r (q )

0
2 (2r)!
2

Hermite Polynomials: H 0 (x) = 1, H1 (x) = 2x, H 3 (x) = 4 x 2 2

n
n

(1)

(2)

= a a =
4

= a a

2
0
2
0

d
2

4 q 2
2

d 2 4
1
2
q 2 q +
2 3
2

n (t) = q 2 (t)

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING VIII

Phase Sweeping --> Photon Number Fluctuations
Variance of Photon Number in Sampling Time
Window: var(n)=< n 2 > - < n >2

var(n) =

2
0

d 2 4
2
2

2 3

1
+
4

Second-Order Coherence of Photon Number in

Sampling Time Window:
g(2)(t,t )=[< n 2 > - < n >]/< n >2

g(2) (t,t) = 2 corresponds to thermal light, i.e. light produced

primarily by spontaneous emission.

g(2) (t,t) = 1 corresponds to light with Poisson statistics, i.e., light

produced by stimulated emission in the presence of gain saturation.
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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING IX

Photon Number Fluctuations
if the signal is incoherent, no phase sweeping is required
80MHz

1-50kHz
Regen.
Amplifier

Ti:Sapphire

/2
Electronic
Delay

Trigger Pulse

Sample

/2

LO

Signal

Alt. Source

PBS1
/2

Voltage
Pulser

Charge-Sensitive
Pre-Amps

Photodiodes

Computer
AD/DA

PBS2

n1
n2

GPIB controller

Shaper

Stretcher

Shaper
Balanced Homodyne Detector

M.
Munroe

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING X

Superluminescent Diode (SLD) Optical Amplifier
metal cap

600 m
3 m

(AR) SiO 2
p-clad layer
p-contact layer

quantum
wells
n-clad layer

~
~

n-GaAs substrate

(Sarnoff Labs)

~
~

undoped, graded
confining layers

Superluminescent
Emission

M. Munroe

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING XI

(a)

Intensity (a.u.)

1.0

25

(a)

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
810

820

830

840

850

Wavelength (nm)

20
15
10
5
1.0

0
0

100

200

Drive Current (mA)

(b)

Intensity (a.u.)

Output Power (mW)

(no cavity)

(b)

0.5

0.0
760

800

840

880

Wavelength (nm)

M. Munroe

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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING XII

SLD in the single-pass configuration

3.0

<n(t,t)>
(2)
g (t,t)

2.4
2.2

2.5

2.0
2.0

<n(t)>

1.6

1.5

1.4
1.0

1.2
1.0

0.5
0

10

time (ns)

15

20

g(2)(t,t)

1.8

Photon Fluctuation
is Thermal-like,
within a single time
window (150 fs)
M. Munroe
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LINEAR OPTICAL SAMPLING XIII

SLD in the double-pass with grating configuration

4.0

<n(t)>
(2)
g (t,t)

14

3.5
12
3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

4
2

1.0

0.5
0

10

time (ns)

15

20

g(2)(t,t)

<n(t)>

10

Photon Fluctuation
is Laser-like, within
a single time
window (150 fs)
M. Munroe
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Single-Shot Linear Optical Sampling I

-- Does not require phase sweeping.
Measure both quadratures simultaneously.
Dual- DC-Balanced Homodyne Detection
LO1
BHD
signal

50/50

q2 + p2 = n
BHD

/2 phase
shifter

LO2

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Fiber Implementation of Single-shot Linear Optical

Sampling Of Photon Number

MFL: mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber laser. OF: spectral filter.

PC: polarization controller. BD: balanced detector.
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Measured quadratures
(continuous and dashed
line) on a 10-Gb/s
pulse train.
Waveform obtained by
postdetection squaring
and summing of the two
quadratures.

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Two-Mode DC-HOMODYNE DETECTION I

LO is in a Superposition of two wave-packet modes, 1 and 2
(+ )

L (r,t) = i c | L |exp(i ) [v1 (r,t)cos + v 2 (r,t)exp(i )sin ]

Dual temporal modes:

Dual LO

(temporal,
spatial, or
polarization)

1 2

signal
BHD

Q = cos( )[q1 cos + p1 sin ] + sin( )[q2 cos + p 2 sin ]

q1
quadrature of mode 1

q2
quadrature of mode 2
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Two-Mode DC-HOMODYNE DETECTION II

ultrafast two-time number correlation measurements using dualLO BHD; super luminescent laser diode (SLD)
1 2
Dual LO
signal
SLD

t1 t2
BHD

two-time secondorder coherence

: n (t1 ) n (t2 ):
g (t1,t2 ) =
n (t1 ) n (t2 )
(2)

D. McAlister

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Two-Mode DC-HOMODYNE DETECTION III

Alternative Method using a Single LO.
Signal is split and delayed by different times.
Polarization rotations can be introduced.
signal
LO

source

BHD
polarization rotator

A. Funk

two-pol., two-time
second-order
coherence

g (t1,t2 ) =
(2)
i, j

: n i (t1 ) n j (t2 ):
n i (t1 ) n j (t2 )

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Two-Mode DC-HOMODYNE DETECTION IV

Single-time, two-polarization correlation measurements on
emission from a VCSEL

0-2 phase
sweeping
and time
delay

0-2 relative phase sweeping

E. Blansett
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Two-Mode DC-HOMODYNE DETECTION V

Single-time, twopolarization correlation
measurements on
emission from a VCSEL
at low temp. (10K)

: n i (t1 ) n i (t2 ):
g (t1,t2 ) =
n i (t1 ) n i (t2 )
(2)
i, i

g (t1,t2 ) =
(2)
i, j

E. Blansett

: n i (t1 ) n j (t2 ):

uncorrelated

n i (t1 ) n j (t2 )
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Two-Mode DC-HOMODYNE DETECTION VI

Single-time, twopolarization correlation
measurements on
emission from a VCSEL
at room temp.

: n i (t1 ) n i (t2 ):
g (t1,t2 ) =
n i (t1 ) n i (t2 )
(2)
i, i

g (t1,t2 ) =
(2)
i, j

: n i (t1 ) n j (t2 ):

anticorrelated

n i (t1 ) n j (t2 )

Spin-flip --> gain competition

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SUMMARY: DC-Balanced Homodyne Detection

1. BHD can take advantage of: high QE and ultrafast time

gating.
2. BHD can provide measurements of photon mean
numbers, as well as fluctuation information (variance,
second-order coherence).
3. BHD can selectively detect unique spatial-temporal
modes, including polarization states.

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