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Infrared spectroscopy with visible light

Nature Photonics volume 10, pages 98–101 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Spectral measurements in the infrared optical range provide unique fingerprints of materials, which are useful for material analysis, environmental sensing and health diagnostics1. Current infrared spectroscopy techniques require the use of optical equipment suited for operation in the infrared range, components of which face challenges of inferior performance and high cost. Here, we develop a technique that allows spectral measurements in the infrared range using visible-spectral-range components. The technique is based on nonlinear interference of infrared and visible photons, produced via spontaneous parametric down conversion2,3. The intensity interference pattern for a visible photon depends on the phase of an infrared photon travelling through a medium. This allows the absorption coefficient and refractive index of the medium in the infrared range to be determined from the measurements of visible photons. The technique can substitute and/or complement conventional infrared spectroscopy and refractometry techniques, as it uses well-developed components for the visible range.

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Figure 1: Experimental set-up.
Figure 2: Angular-wavelength intensity distribution for signal photons from two SPDC crystals.
Figure 3: Dependence on wavelength.
Figure 4: Dependence on pressure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by DSI core funds within the framework of the Quantum Sensors programme. The authors thank G. Vienne, R. Bakker, G. Maslennikov and D. Kupriyanov for discussions and advice on the experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138634, Singapore

    Dmitry A. Kalashnikov, Anna V. Paterova & Leonid A. Krivitsky

  2. Department of Physics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Sergei P. Kulik

Authors
  1. Dmitry A. Kalashnikov
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  2. Anna V. Paterova
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  3. Sergei P. Kulik
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  4. Leonid A. Krivitsky
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Contributions

D.A.K. and L.A.K. assembled the experimental set-up and conducted the measurements. A.V.P. analysed the data and carried out numerical simulations. L.A.K. and S.P.K. conceived the idea and designed the experiment. All authors contributed to preparation of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonid A. Krivitsky.

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Competing interests

A.V.P., D.A.K. and L.A.K. are listed as inventors for a provisional patent application on the method described in Supplementary Section 1.

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Kalashnikov, D., Paterova, A., Kulik, S. et al. Infrared spectroscopy with visible light. Nature Photon 10, 98–101 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2015.252

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