Splitting of a surface plasmon polariton beam by chains of nanoparticles

The operation of a micro-optical beam splitter for surface plasmon polaritons (SPP’s) formed by lined up scatterers is modeled and studied in the framework of a vectorial dipolar approach for multiple SPP scattering by equivalent non-spherical nanoparticles. It is shown that the inclusion of anisotropic polarizability of individual scatterer in the vectorial dipolar model of multiple SPP scattering allows one to obtain, in some cases, quantitative agreement between modeling and experimental results. As an example, we apply this approach to model an SPP beam-splitter formed by a chain of spheroidal particles. The dependencies of the splitting efficiency on the shape of particles, the incidence angle and the waist of an incident SPP Gaussian beam are considered. It is found that the efficiency is very sensitive to the shape of scatterers and the angle of SPP beam incidence. Comparison of numerical results with experimental data shows good agreement with respect to the particle shape and incident angular dependences. PACS 02.70.-c; 71.36.+c; 78.68.+m     

Tunable multi-function broadband splitter with optical bistability based on surface plasmon

A tunable multi-function broadband splitter consisted of a silver film, Kerr medium and a silver grating sandwiched between linear dielectrics waveguides is proposed and numerically investigated. This splitter can realize the functions of the beam splitter, the polarization splitter and wavelength beam splitter. This surface plasmon based device provides a unique approach for polarization sensitive manipulation of light in an integrated circuit and will be essential for future classical and quantum information processes.     

Optical bistability based on surface plasmon coupled between a noble metal film and a metal grating involving Kerr materials

A phenomenon about optical bistability is successfully investigated in a layered structure consisting of a silver film with Kerr medium and a silver grating sandwiched between semi-infinite linear dielectrics.This type of structure can lead to the optical bistability phenomena occurring in reflection and transmission.There exists an optimal thickness of the metal grating that can cut off the effect of the near-field enhancement and may have the lowest effect on conversion from surface plasmon to light.This structure can realize the functions of the beam splitter and the polarization splitter and will be essential for future classical and quantum information processing.     

太赫兹人工电磁媒质研究进展

近年来, 随着太赫兹科学技术的发展, 越来越多的科学家向太赫兹间隙这一传统空白领域发起挑战. 其中, 人工电磁媒质因为能够设计太赫兹波段中紧缺的功能器件而受到广泛关注. 近年来, 对人工电磁媒质尤其是太赫兹方面的研究进展突飞猛进. 人工电磁媒质的性质不仅仅由其构成材料决定, 更与其结构单元的形状和空间排布密切相关. 本文介绍了人工电磁媒质在太赫兹波段的发展、原理、设计和应用, 并着重介绍完美吸波器和人工表面等离激元, 为太赫兹波段功能器件的研究提供了参考, 并对可能的发展方向予以展望.     

Beam splitter for spin waves in quantum spin network

We theoretically design and analytically study a controllable beam splitter for the spin wave propagating in a star-shaped (e.g., a Y-shaped beam) spin network. Such a solid state beam splitter can display quantum interference and quantum entanglement by the well-aimed controls of interaction on nodes. It will enable an elementary interferometric device for scalable quantum information processing based on the solid system.     

Preparing Multi-photon Entangled State with Beam Splitter

We propose a scheme for preparing multi-photon entangled state which is useful for sub-shot-noise sensitivity with beam splitter, where the entangled degree is measured by the reciprocal of the mean quantum Fisher information per particle (RMQFIP). The multi-photon entangled state can be prepared by adjusting the transmissivity of the beam splitter and the better multi-photon entangled state can be prepared by increasing the total number of photons.     

Security of quantum key distribution using two-mode squeezed states against optimal beam splitter attack

For the beam splitter attack strategy against quantum key distribution using two-mode squeezed states, the analytical expression of the optimal beam splitter parameter is provided in this paper by applying the Shannon information theory. The theoretical secret information rate after error correction and privacy amplification is given in terms of the squeezed parameter and channel parameters. The results show that the two-mode squeezed state quantum key distribution is secure against an optimal beam splitter attack.     

单光分束器的量子变换算符研究

针对理想情况下单光分束器,得到了其对应的变换矩阵.用相干态表象和有序算符内积分技术,给出其对应的幺正变换算符.纠缠态的实验制备方案,说明单光分束器在量子信息源研究中具有十分重要的作用.     

Representation of the coherent state for a beam splitter operator and its applications

A beam splitter operator is a very important linear device in the field of quantum optics and quantum information. It can not only be used to prepare complete representations of quantum mechanics, entangled state representation, but it can also be used to simulate the dissipative environment of quantum systems. In this paper, by combining the transform relation of the beam splitter operator and the technique of integration within the product of the operator, we present the coherent state representation of the operator and the corresponding normal ordering form. Based on this, we consider the applications of the coherent state representation of the beam splitter operator, such as deriving some operator identities and entangled state representation preparation with continuous-discrete variables. Furthermore, we extend our investigation to two single and two-mode cascaded beam splitter operators, giving the corresponding coherent state representation and its normal ordering form. In addition, the application of a beam splitter to prepare entangled states in quantum teleportation is further investigated, and the fidelity is discussed. The above results provide good theoretical value in the fields of quantum optics and quantum information.     

Performance analysis of field-of-view shifted Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor based on splitter

We report on a field-of-view shifted Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor based on a splitter designed to measure the wavefront information of object light with strong background. The analysis results indicate that increasing the ratio of the signal beam intensity to the incoming beam intensity and reducing the sampling frequency of CCD₂ (detecting the pure background light) can properly enhance the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) of the object light. A special noise removing algorithm was presented to enhance the centroid measuring accuracy, and it was proved to be effective against the residual noises caused by the differences between the two beam paths. The experimental results indicate that the field-of-view shifted Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor based on a splitter can exactly measure the wavefront information from the object with strong background. PACS 42.68.Bz; 47.50.Ef; 42.30.Wb     

Second-order temporal interference of two independent light beams at an asymmetrical beam splitter

The second-order temporal interference of classical and nonclassical light at an asymmetrical beam splitter is discussed based on two-photon interference in Feynman's path integral theory. The visibility of the second-order interference pattern is determined by the properties of the superposed light beams, the ratio between the intensities of these two light beams, and the reflectivity of the asymmetrical beam splitter. Some requirements about the asymmetrical beam splitter have to be satisfied in order to ensure that the visibility of the second-order interference pattern of nonclassical light beams exceeds the classical limit. The visibility of the second-order interference pattern of photons emitted by two independent single-photon sources is independent of the ratio between the intensities. These conclusions are important for the researches and applications in quantum optics and quantum information when an asymmetrical beam splitter is employed.     

Microscopy of non-birefringent transmissive phase samples using Sagnac laser interferometer

A cyclic interferometer, appropriately combined with a long working distance microscope objective, is adapted for quantitative phase microscopy. In such an arrangement, the sample information, in terms of the diffracted orders emerging from the sample, is carried by both the counter propagating beams within the cyclic interferometer. However, positioning the sample close to the input/output cube beam splitter and use of a suitably converging laser beam of light as the input to the interferometer ensure that only one of the counter propagating beams carries the object information to the objective while the other beam, which serves as the reference, allows only the undiffracted component to contribute to the process of image formation. Use of suitable polarization optics renders the interferometer its polarization phase shifting property. Using the proposed arrangement, the experimental results showing the quantitative 3D phase rendering of polystyrene microspheres and micro-wells etched in glass are presented.     

A surface-plasmon-polariton wavelength splitter based on a metal–insulator–metal waveguide

A surface-plasmon-polariton (SPP) wavelength splitter based on a metal–insulator–metal waveguide with multiple teeth is proposed. Using the transfer-matrix method, a plasmonic band gap is identified in the multiple-toothed structure, and the splitting wavelength of the SPP splitter can be easily adapted by adjusting the widths of the teeth and the gaps. The proposed wavelength splitter is further verified through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, in which SPPs with incident wavelengths of 756 nm and 892 nm are successfully split and guided in opposite directions in the waveguide, with extinction ratios of 30 dB and 29 dB, respectively.     

Fringe visibility and correlation in Mach-Zehnder interferometer with an asymmetric beam splitter

We study the wave-particle duality in a general Mach-Zehnder interferometer with an asymmetric beam splitter from the viewpoint of quantum information theory. The correlations (including the classical correlation and the quantum correlation) between the particle and the which-path detector are derived when they are in pure state or mixed state at the output of Mach-Zehnder interferometer. It is found that the fringe visibility and the correlations are effected by the asymmetric beam splitter and the input state of the particle. The complementary relations between the fringe visibility and the correlations are also presented.     

Efficient directional excitation of surface plasmon polaritons by partial dielectric filling slit structure

In this paper, we investigate the excitation of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) in the metallic slit partly filled with dielectric by using the finite-difference time-domain method. It is found that the slit structure displays high asymmetry in the field distribution and SPP excitation due to the difference in matching degree of SPP wavevector on the two sides of slit exit. At certain incident wavelengths, the power flow carried by SPP modes on one side of slit exit is over three orders of magnitude greater than that on the other side, an efficient directional excitation is achieved. The SPP generation efficiencies on both sides of slit exit can be periodically adjusted by the dielectric width, but their changes are not synchronous, implying that such slit structure could be acted as a directional splitter/coupler. Moreover, the asymmetry degree of SPP excitation can also be modulated by the refractive index of dielectric layer.     

Optical bistability in nonlinear subwavelength metal hole array involving Kerr materials

We investigate an optical bistability phenomenon in a structure consisting of a silver film with a hole array filling with Kerr medium with single wavelength. We explore the mechanism of optical bistability in our structures and find that the excitation condition of surface plasmon at this moment is related with that at last moment. The contrast of optical bistability can reach to the maximum at the wavelength of the transmission peak. Our structure can realize the function of the beam splitter.     

傅里叶红外光谱仪分束器自动装调系统设计

为了提高傅里叶红外光谱仪干涉系统的精度,设计了一种基于一体化分束器的自动装调系统。使用光学胶水将棱镜与分束器固定在一起组成一体化分束器,在一体化分束器上设置三点调整机构,O点位置进行固定作为参考点,在X点、Y点位置装入压电陶瓷,利用压电陶瓷驱动分束器进行微小位移的调整。在动镜匀速运动的情况下,利用四象限检测器检测三路携带相位差信息的信号,对信号进行放大滤波和数字化处理后,采用DSP的ECAP模块捕捉三路相位差信号,并利用增量式PID算法根据相位差来对三个点位的调整幅度进行实时控制,使用DSP的AD模块采集三路信号,并利用USB2.0与上位机进行通信,在上位机上实时显示三路信号图形及相位差信息。利用光学胶水的紫外固化特性,在支架上安装紫外照射灯,调整过程中不断增加照射强度使光学胶水进行深度固化,从而制作出符合傅里叶变换红外光谱仪应用需求的一体化分束器。实验结果表明,所设计的基于一体化分束器的自动装调系统具有结构简单,调整精度高等优点,其能够满足常规红外分束器装调需求。     

Multimode Hong-Ou-mandel interference

We consider multimode two-photon interference at a beam splitter by photons created by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The resulting interference pattern is shown to depend upon the transverse spatial symmetry of the pump beam. In an experiment, we employ the first-order Hermite-Gaussian modes in order to show that, by manipulating the pump beam, one can control the resulting two-photon interference behavior. We expect these results to play an important role in the engineering of quantum states of light for use in quantum information processing and quantum imaging.     

Mode characteristics of silver-coated inverted-wedge silica microdisks

The characteristics of whispering gallery modes(WGM) in silver-coated inverted-wedge silica microdisks are theoretically investigated by using finite element method. Dielectric TE mode always exists in silver-coated inverted-wedge resonators; dielectric TM mode tends to couple with SPP modes; only pure interior surface plasmonic polariton(SPP) mode but not pure exterior SPP mode is observed in contrast to the metal-coated cylindrical and toroidal resonators. The dependence of quality factor of different kinds of WGMs on the radius of the resonator and the thickness of the coated silver layer are systematically analyzed. We find that the quality factors of the hybrid WGMs associated with SPP mode can reach 104. The maximum light intensity enhancement in ambient for a hybrid mode consisting of a dielectric TM mode and an exterior SPP mode can be obtained when a silver film of thickness ~40 nm is deposited. The silver-coated inverted-wedge silica resonators may be widely applied in sensing and surface enhanced Raman scattering.     

Reflecting polarizing beam splitter

We propose and experimentally demonstrate the use of metal-covered lamellar relief gratings as a polarizing beam splitter operating at a single wavelength near Littrow incidence. We report the characteristics of a grating produced by holography and reactive ion etching that was calculated for operation as beam splitter at lambda = 633 nm (for a He-Ne laser).