Abstract

We introduce the notion of laser-like operation for polarization entangled photons. The proposed device has a two-mode output which contains quantum correlations both between the polarization degree of freedom for particles in separate modes and between the photon numbers in the modes. The proposed device will operate in the new and virtually unexplored regime of many-particle entanglement. We present the design and provide experimental data in support of the main operation mechanism. In particular we show the generation of a rotational symmetric four-photon entangled state obtained by stimulated emission of the familiar antisymmetric two-particle Bell state. The produced states allow for novel quantum cryptography and quantum information protocols and for tests of spin-s Bell inequalities.

© 2001 Optical Society of America