arXiv subjects

Samuel E. Fontaine

Publications and source records attributed to Samuel E. Fontaine.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Coherent control of photon pairs via quantum interference between second- and third-order quantum nonlinear processes

Genuine quantum interference between independent nonlinear processes of different order provides a route to coherent control that cannot be reduced to a classical field interference. Here we present an all-optical analogue of coherent carrier injection by exploiting interference between second- and third-order quantum nonlinear processes in an integrated photonic platform. Photon pairs generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion and spontaneous four-wave mixing coherently contribute to the same final two-photon state, resulting in a phase-dependent modulation of both the generation rate and the spectral structure of the emitted biphoton state. We illustrate the features of such interference and how it can be used to shape biphoton wavefunctions and their quantum correlations. These results identify interference between nonlinear processes of different order as a distinct form of coherent quantum control within quantum nonlinear optics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Joint spectral characterization of SPDC photon pairs near 2 $μ$m in (Al)GaAs-on-insulator waveguides

Integrated photon-pair sources are a core component of chip-based quantum computing, communication, and metrology. Although such sources have been demonstrated at conventional telecom wavelengths, the 2 $μ$m band remains comparatively less explored, despite offering advantages for free-space quantum communication, low-loss transmission in emerging fiber networks, and integration with silicon photonic platforms. In this paper, we demonstrate spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in straight GaAs- and AlGaAs-on-insulator waveguides. This platform offers strong second-order nonlinearity and geometry-tunable dispersion, which are advantageous for efficient on-chip pair generation. Measurements of the joint spectral intensity and heralded second-order correlation function show broadband emission around 2 $μ$m with strong spectral anti-correlations. To our knowledge, this is the first direct joint-spectral characterization of an integrated SPDC source in this wavelength regime.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Photon triplets from integrated microrings: A path towards deterministic non-Gaussianity on a chip

We propose cascaded spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in microring resonators as a scalable and efficient approach for directly generating non-Gaussian states of light. Focusing on the well-understood "low-gain" regime, we demonstrate that triplet generation through cascaded SFWM can be achieved with high efficiency and favorable spectral characteristics using realistic microring sources in AlGaAs. The ability to achieve the generation of light in a single set of supermodes -- and the predicted accessibility of the "high-gain" regime at realistic pump powers -- makes this source a promising candidate as a direct and deterministic source of non-Gaussian light for photonic quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Non-Gaussian states via pump-depleted SPDC

We develop a model for non-Gaussian state generation via spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in InGaP microring resonators. The nonlinear Hamiltonian is written in terms of the asymptotic fields for the system, which includes a phantom channel to handle scattering loss. The full ket for the system is written as a Gaussian unitary acting on a residual non-Gaussian ket, which is vacuum initially and evolves according to a non-Gaussian Hamiltonian. We show that for realistic parameters we can access the pump depletion regime, where the Wigner function for the residual non-Gaussian ket has negativity. But we find that the non-Gaussian features for the full ket could be unobservable due to the large amount of squeezing required to lead to pump depletion. We show that a potential solution in the low-loss regime is to implement an inverse Gaussian unitary on the accessible modes to remove most of the squeezing and reveal the non-Gaussian features. This work provides a foundation for modeling pump-depleted SPDC in integrated lossy microring resonators, opening a path toward a scalable on-chip non-Gaussian source.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Photon pair generation via down-conversion in III-V semiconductor microrings: modal dispersion and quasi-phase matching

We explore how III-V semiconductor microring resonators can efficiently generate photon pairs and squeezed vacuum states via spontaneous parametric down-conversion by utilizing their built-in quasi phase matching and modal dispersion. We present an analytic expression for the biphoton wave function of photon pairs generated by weak pump pulses, and characterize the squeezed states that result under stronger pumping conditions. Our model includes loss, and captures the statistics of the scattered photons. A detailed sample calculation shows that for low pump powers conversion efficiencies of 10$^{-5}$, corresponding to a rate of $39$ MHz for a pump power of 1 $μ$W, are attainable for rudimentary structures such as a simple microring coupled to a waveguide, in both the continuous wave and pulsed excitation regimes. Our results suggest that high levels of squeezing and pump depletion are attainable, possibly leading to the deterministic generation of non-Gaussian states.

quant-ph↗