Description
In this study, I describe my investigation into the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference in multilayered aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), a transparent metamaterial. I explain how one can create orthogonally polarized bi-photon pairs using nonlinear down-converting crystals and how the polarization of these bi-photons plays an important role in the creation of this interference pattern. I will use three different transparent media to transmit single photons through to force a delay in one path. I start with the control experiment in which the photons will pass through air where I adjust the distance to match the phases of each photon pair. Then, I introduce two transparent conducting oxides (TCO), silicon dioxide (SiO2) and AZO, into the photons’ path to see how these materials affect the interference dip. I notice the delay caused by the SiO2 is as expected based on the properties of the material; however, when I introduce AZO, I find a few anomalies in the curve and delay. The main anomaly is a 25-micron shift when AZO, a 300 nm TCO film, is added to the SiO2 substrate. I investigate the delay, the decrease in photons hitting the detector, and the speed at which the photons are traveling through the material. Understanding these aforementioned factors, the difference between when a photon is in and out of phase and finding different ways to obtain interference patterns can help pave the way for determining new ways to observe and obtain Hong-Ou-Mandel interference.
