arXiv subjects

Ayman F. Abouraddy

Publications and source records attributed to Ayman F. Abouraddy.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Discrete Anderson Speckle

When a disordered array of coupled waveguides is illuminated with an extended coherent optical field, discrete speckle develops: partially coherent light with a granular intensity distribution on the lattice sites. The same paradigm applies to a variety of other settings in photonics, such as imperfectly coupled resonators or fibers with randomly coupled cores. Through numerical simulations and analytical modeling, we uncover a set of surprising features that characterize discrete speckle in one- and two-dimensional lattices known to exhibit transverse Anderson localization. Firstly, the fingerprint of localization is embedded in the fluctuations of the discrete speckle and is revealed in the narrowing of the spatial coherence function. Secondly, the transverse coherence length (or speckle grain size) is frozen during propagation. Thirdly, the axial coherence depth is independent of the axial position, thereby resulting in a coherence voxel of fixed volume independently of position. We take these unique features collectively to define a distinct regime that we call discrete Anderson speckle.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Signal Reconstruction from Interferometric Measurements under Sensing Constraints

This paper develops a unifying framework for signal reconstruction from interferometric measurements that is broadly applicable to various applications of interferometry. In this framework, the problem of signal reconstruction in interferometry amounts to one of basis analysis. Its applicability is shown to extend beyond conventional temporal interferometry, which leverages the relative delay between the two arms of an interferometer, to arbitrary degrees of freedom of the input signal. This allows for reconstruction of signals supported in other domains (e.g., spatial) with no modification to the underlying structure except for replacing the standard temporal delay with a generalized delay, that is, a practically realizable unitary transformation for which the basis elements are eigenfunctions. Under the proposed model, the interferometric measurements are shown to be linear in the basis coefficients, thereby enabling efficient and fast recovery of the desired information. While the corresponding linear transformation has only a limited number of degrees of freedom set by the structure of the interferometer giving rise to a highly constrained sensing structure, we show that the problem of signal recovery from such measurements can still be carried out compressively. This signifies significant reduction in sample complexity without introducing any additional randomization as is typically done in prior work leveraging compressive sensing techniques. We provide performance guarantees under constrained sensing by proving that the transformation satisfies sufficient conditions for successful reconstruction of sparse signals using concentration arguments. We showcase the effectiveness of the proposed approach using simulation results, as well as actual experimental results in the context of optical modal analysis of spatial beams.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2017

Interferometric control of the photon-number distribution

We demonstrate deterministic control over the photon-number distribution by interfering two coherent beams within a disordered photonic lattice. By sweeping a relative phase between two equal-amplitude coherent fields with Poissonian statistics that excite adjacent sites in a lattice endowed with disorder-immune chiral symmetry, we measure an output photon-number distribution that changes periodically between super-thermal and sub-thermal photon statistics upon ensemble averaging. Thus, the photon-bunching level is controlled interferometrically at a fixed mean photon-number by gradually activating the excitation symmetry of the chiral-mode pairs with structured coherent illumination and without modifying the disorder level of the random system itself.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Compressive optical interferometry

Compressive sensing (CS) combines data acquisition with compression coding to reduce the number of measurements required to reconstruct a sparse signal. In optics, this usually takes the form of projecting the field onto sequences of random spatial patterns that are selected from an appropriate random ensemble. We show here that CS can be exploited in `native' optics hardware without introducing added components. Specifically, we show that random sub-Nyquist sampling of an interferogram helps reconstruct the field modal structure. The distribution of reduced sensing matrices corresponding to random measurements is provably incoherent and isotropic, which helps us carry out CS successfully.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2017

Coherent perfect absorption in a weakly absorbing fiber

Short-length fiber lasers are key elements for device integration in fiber systems. However, efficiently absorbing a pump beam in a short ion-doped fiber remains a challenge. We present an approach that renders a weakly absorbing short-length Er-doped fiber completely absorbing. We exploit the concept of coherent perfect absorption, whereby two appropriately designed fiber Bragg gratings define a short-length cavity that enforces complete absorption of an incident wave on resonance independently of the fiber intrinsic absorption. This approach applies to any spectral window and may lead to efficient single-longitudinal-mode fiber lasers for applications in optical communication, sensing, and metrology.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Demonstration of an optical-coherence converter

Studying the coherence of an optical field is typically compartmentalized with respect to its different optical degrees of freedom (DoFs) -- spatial, temporal, and polarization. Although this traditional approach succeeds when the DoFs are uncoupled, it fails at capturing key features of the field's coherence if the DOFs are indeed correlated -- a situation that arises often. By viewing coherence as a `resource' that can be shared among the DoFs, it becomes possible to convert the entropy associated with the fluctuations in one DoF to another DoF that is initially fluctuation-free. Here, we verify experimentally that coherence can indeed be reversibly exchanged -- without loss of energy -- between polarization and the spatial DoF of a partially coherent field. Starting from a linearly polarized spatially incoherent field -- one that produces no spatial interference fringes -- we obtain a spatially coherent field that is unpolarized. By reallocating the entropy to polarization, the field becomes invariant with regards to the action of a polarization scrambler, thus suggesting a strategy for avoiding the deleterious effects of a randomizing system on a DoF of the optical field.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Transparent Perfect Mirror

A mirror that reflects light fully and yet is transparent appears paradoxical. Current so-called transparent or "one-way" mirrors are not perfectly reflective and thus can be distinguished from a standard mirror. Constructing a transparent "perfect" mirror has profound implications for security, privacy, and camouflage. However, such a hypothetical device cannot be implemented in a passive structure. We demonstrate here a transparent perfect mirror in a non-Hermitian configuration: an active optical cavity where a certain prelasing gain extinguishes Poynting's vector at the device entrance. At this threshold, all vestiges of the cavity's structural resonances are eliminated and the device presents spectrally flat unity-reflectivity, thus, becoming indistinguishable from a perfect mirror when probed optically across the gain bandwidth. Nevertheless, the device is rendered transparent by virtue of persisting amplified transmission resonances. We confirm these predictions in two photonic realizations: a compact integrated active waveguide and a macroscopic all-optical-fiber system.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Statistical PT-symmetric lasing in an optical fiber network

PT-symmetry in optics is a condition whereby the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index across a photonic structure are deliberately balanced. This balance can lead to a host of novel optical phenomena, such as unidirectional invisibility, loss-induced lasing, single-mode lasing from multimode resonators, and non-reciprocal effects in conjunction with nonlinearities. Because PT-symmetry has been thought of as fragile, experimental realizations to date have been usually restricted to on-chip micro-devices. Here, we demonstrate that certain features of PT-symmetry are sufficiently robust to survive the statistical fluctuations associated with a macroscopic optical cavity. We construct optical-fiber-based coupled-cavities in excess of a kilometer in length (the free spectral range is less than 0.8 fm) with balanced gain and loss in two sub-cavities and examine the lasing dynamics. In such a macroscopic system, fluctuations can lead to a cavity-detuning exceeding the free spectral range. Nevertheless, by varying the gain-loss contrast, we observe that both the lasing threshold and the growth of the laser power follow the predicted behavior of a stable PT-symmetric structure. Furthermore, a statistical symmetry-breaking point is observed upon varying the cavity loss. These findings indicate that PT-symmetry is a more robust optical phenomenon than previously expected, and points to potential applications in optical fiber networks and fiber lasers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Entanglement without indistinguishability: Routing of coupling-induced path-entangled photon pairs

Realizing an on-chip reconfigurable source of path-entangled photons is of critical importance for the advancement of quantum information processing and networking. Achieving this goal has proven challenging to date. We present an on-chip scheme for the deterministic creation of co-propagating or counter-propagating path-entangled photon pairs that can be routed in multiple configurations by tuning a classical parameter. The simplest manifestation of this approach makes use of two \textit{coupled} waveguides: a \textit{nonlinear} waveguide that produces photon pairs via spontaneous parametric downconversion from an externally incident unguided optical pump, and an auxiliary \textit{linear} waveguide. Although the photon pairs are born in only one waveguide, which alone cannot create path-entanglement, linear coupling over an extended length to the passive waveguide introduces unexpected indistinguishability that induces path-entanglement. Tuning of the classical pump spatial profile allows routing the photon pairs over all possible configurations. The proposed device is a building block for future quantum-optical networks.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Incoherent lensless imaging via coherency back-propagation

The two-point complex coherence function constitutes a complete representation for scalar quasi-monochromatic optical fields. Exploiting dynamically reconfigurable slits implemented with a digital micromirror device, we report on measurements of the complex two-point coherence function for partially coherent light scattering from a `scene' comprising one or two objects at different transverse and axial positions with respect to the source. Although the intensity shows no discernible shadows in absence of a lens, numerically back-propagating the measured complex coherence function allows estimating the objects' sizes and locations -- and thus the reconstruction of the scene.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Coherence measurements of scattered incoherent light for lensless identification of an object's location and size

In absence of a lens to form an image, incoherent or partially coherent light scattering off an obstructive or reflective object forms a broad intensity distribution in the far field with only feeble spatial features. We show here that measuring the complex spatial coherence function can help in the identification of the size and location of a one-dimensional object placed in the path of a partially coherent light source. The complex coherence function is measured in the far field through wavefront sampling, which is performed via dynamically reconfigurable slits implemented on a digital micromirror device (DMD). The impact of an object -- parameterized by size and location -- that either intercepts or reflects incoherent light is studied. The experimental results show that measuring the spatial coherence function as a function of the separation between two slits located symmetrically around the optical axis can identify the object transverse location and angle subtended from the detection plane (the ratio of the object width to the axial distance from the detector). The measurements are in good agreement with numerical simulations of a forward model based on Fresnel propagators. The rapid refresh rate of DMDs may enable real-time operation of such a lensless coherency imaging scheme.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Omni-resonant optical micro-cavity

Optical cavities are a cornerstone of photonics. They are indispensable in lasers, optical filters, optical combs and clocks, in quantum physics, and have enabled the detection of gravitational waves. Cavities transmit light only at discrete resonant frequencies, which are well-separated in micro-structures. Despite attempts at the construction of `white-light cavities', the benefits accrued upon optically interacting with a cavity -- such as resonant field buildup -- have remained confined to narrow linewidths. Here, we demonstrate achromatic optical transmission through a planar Fabry-Perot micro-cavity via angularly multiplexed phase-matching that exploits a bio-inspired grating configuration. By correlating each wavelength with an appropriate angle of incidence, a continuous spectrum resonates and the micro-cavity is rendered transparent. The locus of a single-order 0.7-nm-wide resonance is de-slanted in spectral-angular space to become a 60-nm-wide achromatic resonance spanning multiple cavity free-spectral-ranges. This approach severs the link between the resonance bandwidth and the cavity-photon lifetime, thereby promising resonant enhancement of linear and nonlinear optical effects over broad bandwidths in ultrathin devices.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Basis-neutral Hilbert-space analyzers

Interferometry is one of the central organizing principles of optics. Key to interferometry is the concept of optical delay, which facilitates spectral analysis in terms of time-harmonics. In contrast, when analyzing a beam in a Hilbert space spanned by spatial modes -- a critical task for spatial-mode multiplexing and quantum communication -- basis-specific principles are invoked that are altogether distinct from that of `delay.' Here, we extend the traditional concept of temporal delay to the spatial domain, thereby enabling the analysis of a beam in an arbitrary spatial-mode basis -- exemplified using Hermite-Gaussian and radial Laguerre-Gaussian modes. Such generalized delays correspond to optical implementations of fractional transforms; for example, the fractional Hankel transform is the generalized delay associated with the space of Laguerre-Gaussian modes, and an interferometer incorporating such a `delay' obtains modal weights in the associated Hilbert space. By implementing an inherently stable, reconfigurable spatial-light-modulator-based polarization- interferometer, we have constructed a `Hilbert-space analyzer' capable of projecting optical beams onto any modal basis.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Lattice topology dictates photon statistics

Propagation of coherent light through a disordered network is accompanied by randomization and possible conversion into thermal light. Here, we show that network topology plays a decisive role in determining the statistics of the emerging field if the underlying lattice satisfies chiral symmetry. By examining one-dimensional arrays of randomly coupled waveguides arranged on linear and ring topologies, we are led to a remarkable prediction: the field circularity and the photon statistics in ring lattices are dictated by its parity -- whether the number of sites is even or odd, while the same quantities are insensitive to the parity of a linear lattice. Adding or subtracting a single lattice site can switch the photon statistics from super-thermal to sub-thermal, or vice versa. This behavior is understood by examining the real and imaginary fields on a chiral-symmetric lattice, which form two strands that interleave along the lattice sites. These strands can be fully braided around an even-sited ring lattice thereby producing super-thermal photon statistics, while an odd-sited lattice is incommensurate with such an arrangement and the statistics become sub-thermal. Such effects are suppressed in the limit of high lattice disorder, whereupon Anderson localization arrests the spread of light around the lattice and eliminates topology-dependent phenomena.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Hanbury Brown and Twiss anticorrelation in disordered photonic lattices

We report measurements of Hanbury Brown and Twiss correlation of coherent light transmitted through disordered one-dimensional photonic lattices. Although such a lattice exhibits transverse Anderson localization when a single input site is excited, uniform excitation precludes its observation. By examining the Hanbury Brown--Twiss correlation for a uniformly excited disordered lattice, we observe intensity anticorrelations associated with photon antibunching--a signature of non-Gaussian statistics. Although the measured average intensity distribution is uniform, transverse Anderson localization nevertheless underlies the observed anticorrelation.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Scattering properties of PT-symmetric objects

We investigate the scattering response of parity-time (PT) symmetric structures. We show that, due to the local flow of energy between gain and loss regions, such systems can deflect light in unusual ways, as a function of the gain/loss contrast. Such structures are highly anisotropic and their scattering patterns can drastically change as a function of the angle of incidence. In addition, we derive a modified optical theorem for PT-symmetric scattering systems, and discuss its ramifications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2011

Tailoring the correlation and anti-correlation behavior of path-entangled photons in Glauber-Fock oscillator lattices

We demonstrate that single-photon as well as biphoton revivals are possible in a new class of dynamic optical systems-the so-called Glauber-Fock oscillator lattices. In these arrays, both Bloch-like oscillations and dynamic delocalization can occur which can be described in closed form. The bunching and anti-bunching response of path-entangled photons can be pre-engineered in such coupled optical arrangements and the possibility of emulating Fermionic behavior in this family of lattices is also considered. We elucidate these effects via pertinent examples and we discuss the prospect of experimentally observing these quantum interactions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Spatial coherence effects on second- and fourth-order temporal interference

We report the results of two experiments performed with two-photon light, produced via collinear degenerate optical spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC), in which both second-order (one-photon) and fourth-order (two-photon) interferograms are recorded in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). In the first experiment, high-visibility fringes are obtained for both the second- and fourth-order interferograms. In the second experiment, the MZI is modified by the removal of a mirror from one of its arms; this leaves the fourth-order interferogram unchanged, but extinguishes the second-order interferogram. A theoretical model that takes into consideration both the temporal and spatial degrees-of-freedom of the two-photon state successfully explains the results. While the temporal interference in the MZI is independent of the spatial coherence of the source, that of the modified MZI is not.

quant-ph↗