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    Optimization of narrowband photon pair generation in Doppler-broadened atomic vapors

    Hui-Min Zhao1,*, Xiao-Jun Zhang2, Di-Di Zheng3, and Jin-Hui Wu2,†

    • *Contact author: hmzhao@hebtu.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: jhwu@nenu.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. A 113, 043702 – Published 1 April, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/drw8-l297

    Abstract

    In this paper, we investigate biphoton generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing in Doppler-broadened atomic vapors. Thermal motion breaks the zero-temperature symmetry between copropagating and counterpropagating geometries and introduces competition between the biphoton generation rate and propagation loss. A temperature-dependent pump-detuning scheme restores an approximate mirror symmetry between the frequency-resolved responses of the two geometries, yielding nearly identical biphoton generation rates and correlation strengths over a broad temperature range. We find that increasing atomic thermal velocity drives the temporal correlation function from damped oscillations at low temperatures to a purely exponential decay at higher temperatures by enhancing decoherence and pushing the effective Rabi frequency into the imaginary regime. This behavior is captured analytically through the temperature-dependent modification of the poles governing the oscillatory correlations. The generated biphotons retain strong nonclassical character, accompanied by spectral narrowing and temperature-induced temporal broadening. Numerical simulations incorporating Doppler averaging validate these predictions, quantify the model's accuracy, and confirm that the same qualitative trends persist at higher optical depths. These results identify a simple and tunable route to narrowband biphoton generation in warm vapors, with direct relevance to quantum memories and long-distance quantum communication.

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