Needle-beam generation from SPDC photons using inverse-designed flat optics

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate the generation of needle-like beams from spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) light using a compact inverse-designed multilevel diffractive lens (MDL). The nonclassical nature of the SPDC source is independently verified through a three-detector heralded Hanbury Brown-Twiss measurement performed before the MDL, yielding a zero-delay second-order correlation value of approximately 0.14. Spatial measurements using an intensified charge-coupled device reveal that the MDL maintains a tightly confined focal distribution over an axial distance of approximately 11 mm under collinear SPDC illumination, substantially reducing diffraction-induced broadening compared with a conventional plano-convex lens of the same nominal focal length. Under non-collinear SPDC illumination, two distinct regions of extended axial confinement are observed, demonstrating the dependence of the engineered focal distribution on the incident spatial field. These results establish a compact flat-optical approach for engineering extended-focus SPDC photon fields, with potential applications in structured quantum photonics.