Controlling two-photon interference and entanglement with mechanical rotations

In this talk, I will review experimental and theoretical results showing how low-frequency mechanical rotations can control two-photon interference and the observable signatures of photonic entanglement.

I will discuss experiments demonstrating rotation-induced changes in photon bunching and the symmetry of entangled states, followed by proposals to generate entanglement through mechanical rotation. These include entanglement between a photon’s path and polarisation degrees of freedom, as well as entanglement between spatially separated photons with correlations that violate Bell inequalities. I will conclude by discussing potential applications to quantum sensing and prospects for investigating gravitational effects, including frame dragging.

[1] S Restuccia, M Toroš, GM Gibson, H Ulbricht, D Faccio, MJ Padgett, Photon bunching in a rotating reference frame, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 110401 (2019)

[2] M Toroš, S Restuccia, GM Gibson, M Cromb, H Ulbricht, MJ Padgett, D Faccio. Revealing and concealing entanglement with noninertial motion, Phys. Rev. A 101, 043837 (2020)

[3] M Cromb, S Restuccia, GM Gibson, M Toroš, MJ Padgett, D Faccio, Mechanical rotation modifies the manifestation of photon entanglement, Phys. Rev. Research 5, L022005 (2023)

[4] M Toroš, M Cromb, M Paternostro, D Faccio, Generation of Entanglement from Mechanical Rotation, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 260401 (2022)

[5] M Toroš, MC Braidotti, M Paternostro, MJ Padgett, D Faccio, Generating quantum non-local entanglement with mechanical rotations, Phys. Rev. Research 7, 033197 (2025)