We put forward an experimentally feasible technique to generate engineered entangled states in d-dimensional Hilbert spaces in parametric down-conversion of photons. The scheme is based on the orbital angular momentum of light and translates the classical, topological information imprinted in the light beam that pumps the two-photon source into quantum information contained in the weights and phases of the quantum entangled two-photon states.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

We show experimentally how noncollinear geometries in spontaneous parametric downconversion induce ellipticity of the shape of the spatial mode function. The degree of ellipticity depends on the pump beam width, especially for highly focused beams. We also discuss the ellipticity induced by the spectrum of the pump beam.

A method of intensity-dependent polarization switching is proposed. The effect is based on simultaneous action of two phase-matched second-order processes in a quadratic medium. Using analytical and numerical techniques, we demonstrate that a single linearly polarized fundamental wave, when it is propagating in such a medium, can efficiently generate a new fundamental wave of orthogonal polarization. The polarization switching is explained by an effective four-wave-mixing process that is performed through second-order cascading.