AUTHOR=Wu Hai-Jun , Yu Bing-Shi , Zhu Zhi-Han , Rosales-Guzmán Carmelo , Zhou Zhi-Yuan , Ding Dong-Sheng , Gao Wei , Shi Bao-Sen TITLE=Heralded Generation of Vectorially Structured Photons With a High Purity JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2021.654451 DOI=10.3389/fphy.2021.654451 ISSN=2296-424X ABSTRACT=

Engineering vector spatial modes of photons is an important approach for manipulating high-dimension photonic states in various quantum optical experiments. In this work, we demonstrate the generation of heralded single photons with well-defined vector spatial modes by using a self-stable polarizing interferometer comprising a spatial light modulator. Specifically, it is shown that, by carefully tailoring and compensating the spatial and temporal amplitudes of manipulated photons, one can exactly convert ultrafast single photons into desired spin-orbit states with an extremely high purity. This compact and robust device provides a versatile way for not only the generation, but also the manipulation and characterization of arbitrary photonic spin-orbit states.