Quantum Light Scattering in Disordered and Structured Media

Passcode: 487349

Understanding the complex interactions of the quantum state of light with different media provides valuable insights into potential applications in quantum metrology, tomography, microscopy, and circuit and network design.

In this work, first, we develop a first principle scattering model for multiple scattering of scalar waves in finite-sized and sparse random media and study the emergence of CBS, a manifestation of weak localization effect. Next, we investigate quantum correlations and present the emergence of coherent two-photon backscattering, in multiple scattering of different two-photon states. We show how quantum correlations can be used as a probe of the entanglement dimensionality and present the non-Rayleigh statistics of single- and two-photon speckle patterns in scattering of different states. Multiple scattering and coherent two-photon backscattering of polarized electromagnetic fields in bulk disordered media are explored for different particle exchange symmetries and bosonic-, anyonic-, and fermionic-like behaviors are uncovered, which are studied in connection with CBS phenomenon.

We then explore the capabilities of artificially engineered surfaces, i.e., metasurfaces, for realizing quantum interferences. We investigate the extent that general networks can be employed to implement nonclassical interferences and present two adaptive metasurface-based configurations that enable the control of nonclassical two-photon interference via a thermally driven crystallographic phase transition. The development of these compact and rapidly controllable quantum devices provides new routes to improve and expand the current free space quantum systems such as quantum gates, circuits, and networks and quantum tomography setups.

Chair: Professor Theodore B. Norris