Spatial Wavefunction Characterization of Femtosecond Pulses at Single-Photon Level

Abstract

Reading quantum information of single photons is commonly realized by quantum tomography or the direct (weak) measurement approach. However, these methods are time-consuming and face enormous challenges in characterizing single photons from an ultrafast light source due to the stringent temporal mode matching requirements. Here, we retrieve the spatial wavefunction of indistinguishable single photons from both a continuous wave source and a femtosecond light source using a self-referencing interferometer. Our method only requires nine ensemble-averaged measurements. This technique simplifies the measurement procedure of single-photon wavefunction and automatically mode matches each self-interfering single photon temporally, which enables the measurement of the spatial wavefunction of single photons from an ultrafast light source.