Spatial quantum correlations in the fluorescence of traveling-wave second-harmonic generation

Abstract

We investigate theoretically the spatial quantum correlations of the light produced by spontaneous emission in type-I second-harmonic generation in the traveling-wave configuration. It is first shown that spontaneous emission occurs at both fundamental and second-harmonic frequency. Considering the quantum fluctuations of the intensities collected in symmetrical parts of the far-field plane, nonclassical correlations below the shot noise are predicted not only at fundamental frequency, but also at second-harmonic frequency. The latter cannot be traced back to any twin-photon emission mechanism, but are generated by a secondary process acting on twin photons. This mechanism also creates correlations between fundamental and second-harmonic field, at a given transverse wave number, and at opposite wave numbers. The analysis of a simplified few-mode model, on a quantum level, provides a good qualitative understanding of these correlations.