Dynamic photoelastic analysis by optical heterodyne polarimetry

This paper describes the mapping of the spatiotemporal principal stress distribution evolved with time in an epoxy photoelastic sample. In the optical heterodyne polarimeter exploited, the signal beam of light transmitted by the sample under continuously loaded condition is photomixed with the local oscillator beam of light made up of orthogonal linearly polarized two-frequency components. Every pixel of a MOS video camera used generates a beat photocurrent that possesses the two orthogonal field components of the elliptically polarized signal beam. The spatiotemporal principal stress distributions can be uniquely determined simultaneously and independently from these two orthogonal field components, and are successfully mapped in a time-sequential form. The spatial and temporal resolutions in the maps are 0.18 mm and 2.9 ms, respectively.     

Sub-shot-noise phase quadrature measurement of intense light beams

We present a setup for performing sub-shot-noise measurements of the phase quadrature of intense pulsed light without the use of a separate local oscillator. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer with an unbalanced arm length is used to detect the fluctuations of the phase quadrature at a single sideband frequency. With this setup, the nonseparability of a pair of quadrature-entangled beams is demonstrated experimentally.     

Sub-shot-noise quantum metrology with entangled identical particles

The usual notion of separability has to be reconsidered when applied to states describing identical particles. A definition of separability not related to any a priori Hilbert space tensor product structure is needed: this can be given in terms of commuting subalgebras of observables. Accordingly, the results concerning the use of the quantum Fisher information in quantum metrology are generalized and physically reinterpreted.     

Sub-shot-noise high-sensitivity spectroscopy with optical parametric oscillator twin beams

Nondegenerate optical parametric oscillators generate above-threshold signal and idler beams that have intensity fluctuations correlated at the quantum level (twin beams). We describe what is to our knowledge the first high-sensitivity spectroscopy experiment using twin beams emitted by a cw optical parametric oscillator: a very weak two-photon absorption signal, in the 10(-7) range, is recorded on the 4S(1/2)-5S(1/2) transition of atomic potassium with a noise background that is reduced by 1.9 dB with respect to the shot-noise limit of the light used in the experiment.     

Sub-shot-noise magnetometry with a correlated spin-relaxation dominated alkali-metal vapor

Spin noise sets fundamental limits to the precision of measurements using spin-polarized atomic vapors, such as performed with sensitive atomic magnetometers. Spin squeezing offers the possibility to extend the measurement precision beyond the standard quantum limit of uncorrelated atoms. Contrary to current understanding, we show that, even in the presence of spin relaxation, spin squeezing can lead to a significant reduction of spin noise, and hence an increase in magnetometric sensitivity, for a long measurement time. This is the case when correlated spin relaxation due to binary alkali-atom collisions dominates independently acting decoherence processes, a situation realized in thermal high atom-density magnetometers and clocks.     

Fluctuation polarimetry

We examine the relationship between the strength of the intensity fluctuations and the polarimetric properties of a random electromagnetic field composed of a Gaussian, random field, and nonrandom field, and we present a method for determining the state of polarization of the Gaussian random field. The approach relies on incoherently mixing a Gaussian random field with a controllable reference field and measuring the intensity fluctuations of their superposition. We demonstrate that by controlling the reference field, the full polarimetric information about the Gaussian random field can be uniquely determined.     

Stellar X-ray polarimetry

Summary Stellar X-ray polarimetry has for a long time been indicated as a very powerful diagnostic tool. In spite of this widely recognised interest, positive results are limited to just one: the detection, in the now far 1978, of the polarisation of the X-ray emission from the Crab Nebula. Novel-generation experiments promise a wider and richer amount mess of results, at least for strong galactic sources. Polarimetry however, remains an unusually delicate technique that requires a very tight control of systematic effects (at the level of 1% or better) over the very long observing period (10⁵ seconds or more) needed for obtaining a reasonable sensitivity. Paper presented at the 6th Cosmic Physics National Conference, Palermo, 3–7 November 1992.     

Stochastic scattering polarimetry

We introduce the general concept of stochastic scattering polarimetry and demonstrate that the anisotropic polarizability of a scattering object can be obtained by analyzing the statistical moments of polarimetrically measured intensity distributions. This general procedure is valid even in situations where the state of polarization of the incident field is not known. The efficiency of recovering different scattering polarizabilities is demonstrated numerically for several particular cases pertaining to both far- and near-field optics.     

A4 Compton polarimetry

For the A4 parity violation experiment at MAMI we have installed a Compton laser polarimeter in our beam line. We have now operated this polarimeter at different beam energies of 315, 855, and 1508 MeV. A short overview of our detectors for scattered photons and electrons is given, together with a discussion of the extraction of Compton asymmetries using tagged photon spectra.     

Three-beam heterodyne interferometer

The heterodyne technique has been applied to three-beam interference, and three interferometer arrangements are discussed. These arrangements are suitable for electronic measurement of optical phase. A three-beam heterodyne interferometer is demonstrated.     

Spectral heterodyne tomography

A novel method of optical coherent tomography—spectral heterodyne tomography—is proposed. Spectral heterodyne tomography is based on parallel heterodyne detection of a multitude of frequencies of the light backscattered by an object under study. The result of this detection is a spectral distribution of the amplitude and phase of the scattered radiation. Subsequent numerical processing allows one to find the distribution of scattering centers over the depth corresponding to the point of entrance of the incident light. The proposed method is potentially characterized by a higher efficiency as compared with the most successful approach to optical coherence tomography, based on heterodyne scanning interferometry.     

Far infrared heterodyne detectors

The characteristics of far infrared detectors are reviewed. Three detectors, the InSb hot electron bolometer, the GaAs Schottky diode and the Josephson point contact junction, have been incorporated as mixers into sensitive heterodyne systems. The performances of existing heterodyne receivers/radiometers are described and compared. Other applications of submillimeter heterodyne techniques are discussed.Supported in part by the U. S. Army Research Office and the Department of the Air Force.     

Magnetic structures and neutron polarimetry

In a thermal neutron scattering experiment, Spherical Neutron Polarimetry (SNP) requires that the incident and the final neutron polarization vectors be measured independently. The method exploits the maximum information one can get from magnetic neutron scattering. Recently, it has been used quite successfully in the study of antiferromagnetic structures and their domain populations. The challenging measurement is now straightforward with our neutron polarimeter CRYOPAD as long as the sample chamber does not contain any magnetic field. Polarimetry on magnetized samples remains the domain of the classical Uniax ial Polarization Analysis (UPA) which measures only the longitudinal component of polarization in an applied field.     

Digitally enhanced heterodyne interferometry

Combining conventional interferometry with digital modulation allows interferometric signals to be isolated based on their delay. This isolation capability can be exploited in two ways. First, it can improve measurement sensitivity by reducing contamination by spurious interference. Second, it allows multiple optical components to be measured using a single metrology system. Digitally enhanced interferometry employs a pseudorandom noise (PRN) code phase modulated onto the light source. Individual reflections are isolated based on their respective delays by demodulation with the PRN code with a matching delay. The properties of the PRN code determine the degree of isolation while preserving the full interferometric sensitivity determined by the optical wavelength. Analysis and simulation indicate that errors caused by spurious interference can be reduced by a factor inversely proportional to the PRN code length.     

Accurate heterodyne interferometric ellipsometer

We describe a heterodyne interferometric ellipsometer which requires only a single reflection from the sample surface. A simple arrangement is described that enables a reference beam to be created in one arm of a modified Mach–Zehnder interferometer such that the p- and s-polarisations in this arm have a common phase and fixed relative amplitude, irrespective of the sample. When this beam is recombined interferometrically with the measurement beam, the spatially separated p and s fringes have an amplitude ratio and relative phase that are directly proportional to tanψ and Δ, respectively. Adjusting the azimuthal angle of the input linear polarisation allows both ψ-tracking to be implemented and error reduction through averaging. Measurements made with this instrument of a native oxide layer on a silicon substrate are in excellent agreement with those obtained using a commercial ellipsometer.     

T-ray topography by time-domain polarimetry

We demonstrate a method for substantially improving the axial resolution of terahertz time-of-flight measurements by analyzing the time-dependent polarization direction of an elliptically polarized single-cycle terahertz electromagnetic (T-ray) pulse. We show that, at its most sensitive, the technique has an axial resolution of ～λ/1000 (<1 μm) with a subsecond measurement time, and very clear T-ray topographic images are obtained. Such a very high axial resolution of the T-ray topography opens the way for novel industrial and biomedical applications such as fine metalworking and corneal inspection in a safe manner.