Controlling polarization entanglement in biphotons generated with partially spatially coherent pump beam

We theoretically study the polarization entanglement and the non-local correlations manifested by biphotons using measures as concurrence and CHSH Bell test, generated in the spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process for partially spatially coherent pump, affected by the spatial walk-off effects of the extraordinary beam. The study has been carried out for a well-known scheme for generating polarization entanglement utilizing non-collinear, frequency degenerate SPDC process in paired type-I uniaxial crystals. It is found that the polarization entanglement changes drastically with variation in spatial coherence of the pump, offering a possibility to realize a tunable source of polarization entanglement. The study reveals the overriding role of aperture size in compensation of the effect of spatial coherence of pump on the polarization entanglement and non-local correlations, especially in the conservation of polarization entanglement for incoherent and partially coherent pump beams. Free-space quantum secure communication utilizing these quantum states possessing maximal entanglement and partially spatially coherent properties would essentially offer robustness to the losses on propagation through atmospheric turbulence, resulting in a significant enhancement in the key rate.

Automated summary

The study reveals a significant impact of the spatial coherence of the pump on polarization entanglement, and utilizing quantum states for free-space quantum secure communication can offer increased robustness.