Third order parametric downconversion: a stimulated approach

Abstract: We study the process of seeded, or stimulated, third-order parametric down-conversion, as an extension of our previous work on spontaneous parametric downconversion (TOSPDC). We present general expressions for the spectra and throughputs expected for the cases where the seed field or fields overlap either only one or two of the TOSPDC modes, and also allow for both pump and seed to be either monochromatic or pulsed. We present a numerical study for a particular source design, showing that doubly-overlapped seeding can lead to a considerably greater generated flux as compared with singly-overlapped seeding. We furthermore show that doubly-overlapped seeding permits stimulated emission tomography for the reconstruction of the three-photon TOSPDC joint spectral intensity. We hope that our work will guide future experimental efforts based on the process of third-order parametric downconversion.