Experimental investigation of the X-shaped spatio-temporal correlation of twin photons via sum frequency generation

In this paper we report about the experimental investigation of the non factorable spatio-temporal correlation of twin beams generated in parametric down conversion (PDC) at the crystal output. We present the correlation features to be reconstructed by means of the inverse process of PDC, that is sum frequency generation, in a scheme based on achromatic imaging. In particular we show the ultra-narrow temporal localization (6fs) observed thanks to the huge spectral bandwidth detected in the near field of the crystal. We illustrate the deteriorating effects of imperfect imaging conditions or spatial modes selection on the temporal correlation, giving evidence of the interdependence of spatial and temporal degrees of freedom in PDC as claimed by the theory. Throughout the paper we shall discuss about the characteristics of the experimental set-up being used for the investigation of the twin beam correlation in both the temporal and spatial domain, highlighting the important features for the success of the experiment and the demonstration of the X-shaped structure of the space-time correlation, already emerging from preliminary results.