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 generation of heralded single photons with well-defined vector spatial modes by using a self-locking polarizing interferometer comprising a spatial light modulator. Specifically, it is shown that, by carefully tailoring and compensating spatial and temporal amplitudes of manipulated photons, one can exactly convert ultrafast single photons into desired spin-orbit states with extremely high purity. This compact and robust device provides a versatile way for not only generation, but also manipulation and characterization of arbitrary photonic spin-orbit states.