Single-photon source based on Rydberg exciton blockade

Abstract

Bound states of electron–hole pairs in semiconductors demonstrate a hydrogen-like behavior in their high-lying excited states that are also known as Rydberg exciton states. The strong interaction between excitons in levels with high principal quantum numbers prevents the creation of more than one exciton in a small crystal; resulting in the Rydberg blockade effect. Here, we propose a new kind of solid-state single-photon source based on the recently observed Rydberg blockade effect for excitons in cuprous oxide. Our quantitative estimates based on single and double excitation probability dynamics indicate that GHz rates and values of the second-order correlation function below the percent level can be simultaneously achievable. These results should pave the way to explore applications of Rydberg excitons in photonic quantum information processing.