Home Noiseless optical amplification of images

Noiseless optical amplification of images

Phase-sensitive optical parametric amplifiers (PSAs), unlike any other optical amplifiers, can increase the magnitude of the signal without adding any noise. This property, coupled with the wide temporal bandwidth of fiber-based parametric amplifiers, has lead to their use as nearly noiseless inline amplifiers for optical communication systems (our work in this area is covered here). Similarly, the broad spatial bandwidth of the parametric amplifiers enables their use as noiseless amplifiers of faint optical images [1]. The signal-to-noise ratio improvement provided by such image amplifiers can in turn lead to resolution improvement in the detection of faint images [2]. The same devices can also be used for the generation of spatially-broadband squeezed vacuum for quantum information processing applications.

Prof. Vasilyev’s group, along with its collaborators, has the following experimental and theoretical “claims to fame” in the field of traveling-wave multi-mode optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs):

  • First noiseless optical amplification of an image [1],
  • First measurement of joint photon-number distribution of the signal and idler beams [3],
  • First calculation [4–6] and first observation [7,8] of the eigenmodes of a traveling-wave parametric amplifier,
  • Largest amount of de-amplification (~15 dB) in a traveling-wave phase-sensitive amplifier [7],
  • First demonstration of the image resolution improvement by a spatially multimode phase-sensitive pre-amplifier [9],
  • Taking the noiseless image amplifier technology from the laboratory proof of concept all the way to a field test of a commercial OPA-enhanced LADAR prototype by Harris Corp. (major defense contractor) [10].

Prof. Vasilyev’s current activity in this area is on frequency conversion of quantum images [11] and on the development of noiseless optical image amplifiers based on multi-mode self-imaging waveguides [12].

Fig. 1. Illustration of the OPA spatial bandwidth and the experimental setup for image amplification [1]. When OPA was configured to be degenerate (signal and idler have the same polarization and frequency), noise figure of (0.0±0.6) dB was measured.

Fig. 2. (a) Eigenvalue (gain and squeezing) spectra for the first 16 modes of a 2-cm-long PSA [5]. The legend shows pump spot sizes in µm. (b) Gain and de-gain for a fundamental Gaussian input, indicating that this mode is an eigenmode of the PSA up to ~14 dB of gain [8]. Pump spot size ~26 µm. (c) xy-profiles of the first several eigenmodes of the PSA for three pump spot sizes from (a). (d) Images of a target obtained in homodyne detection with N photons and detection efficiency h, with or without PSA using M = 15 modes [13].

Selected publications

  1. S.-K. Choi, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Noiseless Optical Amplification of Images,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 1938–1941 (1999); erratum: Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1361–1361 (2000).
  2. P. Kumar, V. Grigoryan, and M. Vasilyev, “Noise-Free Amplification: Towards Quantum Laser Radar,” invited talk at the 14th Coherent Laser Radar Conference, Snowmass, CO, July 2007.
  3. M. Vasilyev, S.-K. Choi, P. Kumar, and G. M. D’Ariano, “Tomographic measurement of joint photon statistics of the twin-beam quantum state,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2354–2357 (2000).
  4. M. Vasilyev, M. Annamalai, N. Stelmakh, and P. Kumar, “Quantum properties of a spatially-broadband traveling-wave phase-sensitive optical parametric amplifier,” J. Mod. Opt. 57, 1908–1915 (2010).
  5. M. Annamalai, N. Stelmakh, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Spatial modes of phase-sensitive parametric image amplifiers with circular and elliptical Gaussian pumps,” Opt. Express 19, 26710–26724 (2011), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-19-27-26710 .
  6. M. Annamalai, M. Vasilyev, N. Stelmakh, and P. Kumar, “Compact Representation of Spatial Modes of Phase-Sensitive Image Amplifier,” the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, Baltimore, MD, May 1–6, 2011, paper JThB77.
  7. G. Alon, O.-K. Lim, A. Bhagwat, C.-H. Chen, M. Annamalai, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Optimization of gain in traveling-wave optical parametric amplifiers by tuning the offset between pump- and signal-waist locations,” Opt. Lett. 38, 1268–1270 (2013).
  8. A. R. Bhagwat, G. Alon, O.-K. Lim, C.-H. Chen, M. Annamalai, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Fundamental eigenmode of travelling-wave phase-sensitive optical parametric amplifier: experimental generation and verification,” submitted to Opt. Lett.
  9. O.-K. Lim, G. Alon, Z. Dutton, S. Guha, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Optical Resolution Enhancement with Phase-Sensitive Preamplification,” the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, San Jose, CA, May 16–21, 2010, paper CTuPP7.
  10. P. A. Wasilousky, K. H. Smith, R. Glasser, G. L. Burdge, L. Burberry, B. Deibner, M. Silver, R. C. Peach, C. Visone, P. Kumar, O.-K. Lim, G. Alon, C. H. Chen, A. Bhagwat, P. Manurkar, M. Vasilyev, M. Annamalai, N. Stelmakh, Z. Dutton, S. Guha, C. Santivanez, J. Chen, M. Silva, W. Kelly, J. H. Shapiro, R. Nair, B. J. Yen, and F. N. C. Wong, “Quantum enhancement of a coherent LADAR receiver using phase-sensitive amplification,” SPIE Optics + Photonics Conference, San Diego, CA, August 21–25, 2011, invited paper 8163-5.
  11. M. Vasilyev and P. Kumar, “Frequency up-conversion of quantum images,” Opt. Express 20, 6644–6656 (2012), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-20-6-6644 .
  12. M. Annamalai and M. Vasilyev, “Phase-sensitive multimode parametric amplification in a parabolic-index waveguide,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 24, 1949–1952 (2012).
  13. M. Annamalai, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Impact of Phase-Sensitive-Amplifier’s Mode Structure on Amplified Image Quality,” Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics, San Jose, CA, May 6–11, 2012, paper CF1B.7.
  14. M. Vasilyev, N. Stelmakh, and P. Kumar, “Estimation of the spatial bandwidth of an optical parametric amplifier with plane-wave pump,”  J. Mod. Opt. 56, 2029–2033 (2009).
  15. M. Vasilyev, N. Stelmakh, and P. Kumar, “Phase-sensitive image amplification with elliptical Gaussian pump,” Opt. Express 17, 11415–11425 (2009), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-17-14-11415 .
  16. G. Alon, O.-K. Lim, A. Bhagwat, C.-H. Chen, M. Vasilyev, and P. Kumar, “Amplification of a Squeezed-Quadrature Strongly Interacting Regime,” the International Quantum Electronics Conference / Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (IQEC/CLEO) Pacific Rim, August 28–September 1, 2011, Sydney, Australia, paper 2260-CT-3.