Entangled two-photon absorption for the continuous generation of excited state populations in plasma

Abstract: Entangled two-photon absorption (ETPA) may be a viable technique to continuously drive an excited state population in plasma for high-bandwidth spectroscopy measurements of localized plasma turbulence or impurity density. Classical two-photon absorption commonly requires a high-intensity, pulsed laser, but entangled photons with short entanglement time and high time correlation may allow for ETPA using a lower intensity, continuous-wave laser. Notably, ETPA with non-collinear entangled photon generation allows for cross-beam spatial localization of the absorption or fluorescence signal using a single laser source. Entangled photon generation, the ETPA cross-section, candidate transitions for an Ar-II species, and plans for a proof-of-principle measurement in a helicon plasma are discussed.