Structured Photons

Group Leader: Filippo Cardano

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Photons can be characterized by multiple physical properties (such as frequency, linear momentum, polarization, etc.) which can all be exploited to encode quantum information or to define quantum variables. Among them, we focus our attention on transverse spatial modes of light, that are paraxial optical fields showing specific amplitude and phase profiles in the plane perpendicular to the main propagation direction. A remarkable example is provided by helical modes, carrying a definite amount of orbital angular momentum. In our group we engineer photonic platforms where we dynamically manipulate spatial and polarization properties of these optical modes, so as to tailor photonic evolutions that mimic quantum models of interest. Our simulators can be shaped to implement quantum dynamics such as quantum walks, in one and two spatial dimensions. Our systems are carefully designed to manifest photonic topological phases, offering an ideal context where related phenomena can be discovered and deeply investigated. We are also interested in the simulation of these processes in a genuinely quantum regime, obtained when considering the evolution of multiple correlated photons.

 

Preprints and Published Articles

Roadmap on structured waves
KY Bliokh, E Karimi, MJ Padgett, MA Alonso, MR Dennis, A Dudley, A Forbes, S Zahedpour, SW Hancock, HM Milchberg, S Rotter, F Nori, ŞK Özdemir, N Bender, H Cao, PB Corkum, C Hernández-García, H Ren, Y Kivshar, MG Silveirinha, N Engheta, A Rauschenbeutel, P Schneeweiss, J Volz, D Leykam, DA Smirnova, K Rong, B Wang, E Hasman, MF Picardi, AV Zayats, FJ Rodríguez-Fortuño, C Yang, J Ren, AB Khanikaev, A Alù, E Brasselet, M Shats, J Verbeeck, P Schattschneider, D Sarenac, DG Cory, D Pushin, M Birk, A Gorlach, I Kaminer, F Cardano, L Marrucci, M Krenn, F Marquardt, Journal of Optics 25 103001 (2023) [Link]

Spatial mode analysis of optical beams carrying monstar disclinations
V Vicuña-Hernández, F Cardano, P Darvehi, L Marrucci, A Rubano, B Piccirillo Journal of Optics 25, 044001 (2023) [Link]

Electric polarization and its quantization in one-dimensional non-Hermitian chains
J Hu, CA Perroni, G De Filippis, S Zhuang, L Marrucci, F Cardano, Physical Review B (Letter) 107, L121101 (2023) [Link]

Ultra-long photonic quantum walks via spin-orbit photonics
F. Di Colandrea, A. Babazadeh, A. Dauphin, P. Massignan, L. Marrucci, F. Cardano, Optica 10, 324-331 (2023) [Link]

Retrieving unitary polarization transformations via optimized quantum tomography
F. Di Colandrea, L. Amato, R. Schiattarella, A. Dauphin, F. Cardano, arXiv:2210.17288 (2022) [Link]

Smoke rings of light
F Cardano, L Marrucci, Nature Photonics 16 (7), 476-477 (2022) [Link]

Quantum walks of two correlated photons in a 2D synthetic lattice
C. Esposito, M. R. Barros, A. Durán Hernández, G. Carvacho, F. Di Colandrea, R. Barboza, F. Cardano, N. Spagnolo, L. Marrucci, F. Sciarrino, npj Quantum Information 8, 34 (2022) [Link]

Electric polarization and its quantization in one-dimensional non-Hermitian chains
J Hu, CA Perroni, G De Filippis, S Zhuang, L Marrucci, F Cardano, arXiv:2203.11902 (2022) [Link]

Ultra-sensitive measurement of transverse displacements with structured light

R. Barboza, A. Babazadeh, L. Marrucci, F. Cardano, C. de Lisio, V. D'Ambrosio, Nature Communications 13, 1080 (2022) [Link]

Linking topological features of the Hofstadter model to optical diffraction figures
F. Di Colandrea, A. D'Errico, M. Maffei, H. M. Price, M. Lewenstein, L. Marrucci, F. Cardano, A. Dauphin, P. Massignan, New Journal of Physics 24, 013028 (2022) [Link]

Bloch-Landau-Zener dynamics induced by a synthetic field in a photonic quantum walk
A. D'Errico, R. Barboza, R. Tudor, A. Dauphin, P. Massignan, L. Marrucci, F. Cardano, APL Photonics 6, 020802 (2021) (selected by Editors as featured article) [Link]

Longitudinal fields and transverse rotations
F. Cardano, L. Marrucci, Nature Photonics 15, 72–74 (2021) [Link]

Bulk detection of time-dependent topological transitions in quenched chiral models 
A. D'Errico, F. Di Colandrea, R. Barboza, A. Dauphin, M. Lewenstein, P. Massignan, L. Marrucci, F. Cardano, Physical Review Research 2, 023119 (2020) [Link]

Two-dimensional topological quantum walks in the momentum space of structured light 
A. D’Errico, F. Cardano, M. Maffei, A. Dauphin, R. Barboza, C. Esposito, B. Piccirillo, M. Lewenstein, P. Massignan, L. Marrucci, Optica 7, 108-114 (2020) [Link]

Continuous-variable entangled states of light carrying orbital angular momentum
A. Pecoraro, F. Cardano, L. Marrucci, A. Porzio, Physical Review A 100, 012321 (2019) [Link] [PDF]

Q-plate technology: a progress review
A. Rubano, F. Cardano, B. Piccirillo, L. Marrucci, Journal of the Optical Society of America B 36, D70 (2019) [Link] [PDF]

Vector vortex beams generated by q-plates as a versatile route to direct fs laser surface structuring
J. JJ Nivas, E. Allahyari, F. Cardano, A. Rubano, R. Fittipaldi, A. Vecchione, D. Paparo, L. Marrucci, R. Bruzzese,  S. Amoruso, Applied Surface Science 471, 1028–1033 (2019) [Link]

Apparato per la simulazione fotonica bidimensionale mediante lamine a fase di Pancharatnam-Berry
F. Cardano, A. D’Errico, B. Piccirillo, L. Marrucci, Patent Application (IT 102018000005705)

Simple method for the characterization of intense Laguerre-Gauss vector vortex beams
E. Allahyari, J. JJ. Nivas, F. Cardano, R. Bruzzese, R. Fittipaldi, L. Marrucci, D. Paparo, A. Rubano, A. Vecchione, S. Amoruso, Applied Physics Letters 112, 211103. [Link]

First observation of the quantized exciton-polariton field and effect of interactions on a single polariton
Á. Cuevas, B. Silva, J. C. López Carreño, M. de Giorgi, C. Sánchez Muñoz, A. Fieramosca, D. G. Suárez Forero, F. Cardano, L. Marrucci, V. Tasco, G. Biasiol, E. del Valle, L. Dominici, D. Ballarini, G. Gigli, P. Mataloni, F. P. Laussy, F. Sciarrino, D. Sanvitto, Science Advances 4, no. 4, eaao6814. [Link]

Topological characterization of chiral models through their long time dynamics
M. Maffei, A. Dauphin, F. Cardano, M. Lewenstein, P. Massignan, New Journal of Physics 20, 013023 (2018), [Link]

Measuring the complex orbital angular momentum spectrum and spatial mode decomposition of structured light beams
A. D'Errico, R. D'Amelio, B. Piccirillo, F. Cardano, L. Marrucci, Optica 4, 1350-1357 (2017), [Link]

Detection of Zak phases and topological invariants in a chiral quantum walk of twisted photons
F. Cardano, A. D'Errico, A. Dauphin, M. Maffei, B. Piccirillo, C. de Lisio, G. De Filippis, V. Cataudella, E. Santamato, L. Marrucci, M. Lewenstein, P. Massignan, Nature Communications 8, 15516 (2017) [Link] [PDF] (Supplementary material)

Surface Structuring with Polarization-Singular Femtosecond Laser Beams Generated by a q-plate
J. JJ Nivas, F. Cardano, Z. Song, A. Rubano, R. Fittipaldi, A. Vecchione, D. Paparo, L. Marrucci, R. Bruzzese, S. Amoruso, Scientific Reports 7, 40795 (2017) [Link]

Topological features of vector vortex beams perturbed with uniformly polarized light
A. D'Errico, M. Maffei, B. Piccirillo, C. de Lisio, F. Cardano, L. Marrucci, Scientific Reports 7, 42142 (2017) [Link]