Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics System Research Articles

Realization of nonreciprocal photon statistics by manipulating the quantum nonlinearity of cold atoms in an asymmetric cavity

In a strongly coupled cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) system, the second-order correlation function g(2)(τ) of the transmitted probe light from the cavity is determined by the nonlinearity of the atom in the cavity. Therefore, the system provides a platform for controlling the photon statistics by manipulating nonlinearity. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate nonreciprocal quantum statistics in a cavity QED system with several atoms strongly coupled to an asymmetric optical cavity, which is composed of two mirrors with different transmittivities. When the direction of the probe light is reversed, the intracavity light field alternates to a different level. Distinct photon statistics are then observed due to the quantum nonlinearity associated with strongly coupled atoms. Sub-Poissonian photon-number statistics for forward light and a Poissonian distribution for backward light are then realized. Our work provides an effective approach for realizing nonreciprocal quantum devices, which have potential applications in the unidirectional generation of nonclassical light fields and quantum sensing.

Antibunched N-photon bundles from dark states assisted by ac Stark shift

In this paper, we propose an interesting scheme to generate antibunched N-photon bundles from dark states by using a single-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics system. The dispersive coupling between the atom and cavity introduces a Stark shift to one of the ground states, while the resonant coupling, along with a control field, forms a coherent N-excitation dark state assisted by the shift. Consequently, super-Rabi oscillation is established between the vacuum state and the N-excitation dark state when a probe field weakly couples to two ground states, enabling antibunched N-photon bundle emission within long-lived atomic coherence. As a byproduct, the generated high-efficiency single-photon source with a large mean photon number and high fidelity is of great value in quantum information processing.

Background-free imaging of cold atoms in optical traps

Optical traps, including those used in atomic physics, cold chemistry, and quantum science, are widely used in the research on cold atoms and molecules. Owing to their microscopic structure and excellent operational capability, optical traps have been proposed for cold atom experiments involving complex physical systems, which generally induce violent background scattering. In this study, using a background-free imaging scheme in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems, a cold atomic ensemble was accurately prepared below a fiber cavity and loaded into an optical trap for transfer into the cavity. By satisfying the demanding requirements for the background-free imaging scheme in optical traps, cold atoms in an optical trap were detected with a high signal-to-noise ratio while maintaining atomic loading. The cold atoms were then transferred into the fiber cavity using an optical trap, and the vacuum Rabi splitting was measured, facilitating relevant research on cavity quantum electrodynamics. This method can be extended to related experiments involving cold atoms and molecules in complex physical systems using optical traps.

Cavity QED systems for steady-state sources of Wigner-negative light

We present a theoretical investigation of optical cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED) systems, as described by the driven, open Jaynes–Cummings model and some of its variants, as potential sources of steady-state Wigner-negative light. We consider temporal modes in the continuous output field from the cavity and demonstrate pronounced negativity in their Wigner distributions for experimentally relevant parameter regimes. We consider models of both single and collective atomic spin systems, and find a rich structure of Wigner-distribution negativity as the spin size is varied. We also demonstrate an effective realization of all of the models considered using just a single 87Rb atom and based upon combinations of laser- and laser-plus-cavity-driven Raman transitions between magnetic sublevels in a single ground hyperfine state.

High-efficiency all-optical switching based on broadband coherent perfect absorption in an atom-cavity system

We propose an ultrahigh-efficiency and broadband all-optical switching scheme based on coherent perfect absorption (CPA) in linear and nonlinear excitation regimes in a cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED) system. Two separate atomic transitions are excited simultaneously by two signal fields coupled from two ends of an optical cavity under the collective strong coupling condition. Three polariton eigenstates are produced which can be tuned freely by varying system parameters. The output field intensities of multiple channels are zero when the CPA criterion is satisfied. However, destructive quantum interference can be induced by a free-space weak control laser when it is tuned to be resonant to the polariton state. As a consequence, the CQED system acts as a coherent perfect light absorber/transmitter as the control field is turned on/off the polariton resonances. In particular, the proposed scheme may be used to realize broadband multi-throw all-optical switching in the nonlinear excitation regime. The proposed scheme is useful for constructing all-optical routing, all-optical communication networks and various all-optical logic elements.

Nonreciprocal Superradiant Phase Transitions and Multicriticality in a Cavity QED System.

We demonstrate the emergence of nonreciprocal superradiant phase transitions and novel multicriticality in a cavity quantum electrodynamics system, where a two-level atom interacts with two counterpropagating modes of a whispering-gallery-mode microcavity. The cavity rotates at a certain angular velocity and is directionally squeezed by a unidirectional parametric pumping χ^{(2)} nonlinearity. The combination of cavity rotation and directional squeezing leads to nonreciprocal first- and second-order superradiant phase transitions. These transitions do not require ultrastrong atom-field couplings and can be easily controlled by the external pump field. Through a full quantum description of the system Hamiltonian, we identify two types of multicritical points in the phase diagram, both of which exhibit controllable nonreciprocity. These results open a new door for all-optical manipulation of superradiant transitions and multicritical behaviors in light-matter systems, with potential applications in engineering various integrated nonreciprocal quantum devices.

Limitations in design and applications of ultra-small mode volume photonic crystals

Ultra-small mode volume nanophotonic crystal cavities have been proposed as powerful tools for increasing coupling rates in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems. However, their adoption in quantum information applications remains elusive. In this work, we investigate possible reasons why, and analyze the impact of different low mode volume resonator design choices on their utility in quantum optics experiments. We analyze band structure features and loss rates of low mode volume bowtie cavities in diamond and demonstrate independent design control over cavity-emitter coupling strength and loss rates. Further, using silicon vacancy centers in diamond as exemplary emitters, we investigate the influence of placement imprecision. We find that the benefit on photon collection efficiency and indistinguishability is limited, while the fabrication complexity of ultra-small cavity designs increases substantially compared to conventional photonic crystals. We conclude that ultra-small mode volume designs are primarily of interest for dispersive spin-photon interactions, which are of great interest for future quantum networks.

Quantum Coherent Feedback Control With Photons

The purpose of this paper is to study two-photon dynamics induced by the coherent feedback control of a cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity-QED) system coupled to a waveguide. In this set-up, the two-level system in the cavity can work as a photon source, and the photon emitted into the waveguide can re-interact with the cavity-QED system many times after the transmission and reflection in the waveguide, during which the feedback can tune the number of the photons in and out of the cavity. We analyze the dynamics of two-photon processes in this coherent feedback network in two scenarios: the continuous mode coupling scheme and the discrete periodic mode coupling scheme between the waveguide and cavity. The difference of these coupling schemes is due to their relative scales and the number of semi-transparent mirrors for coupling. Specifically, in the continuous mode coupling scheme, the generation of two-photon states is influenced by the length of the feedback loop by the waveguide and the coupling strength between the waveguide and the cavity-QED system. By tuning the length of the waveguide and the coupling strength, we are able to generate two-photon states efficiently. In the discrete periodic mode coupling scheme, the Rabi oscillation in the cavity can be stabilized and there are no notable two-photon states in the waveguide.

Photon blockade induced by two-photon absorption in cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Photon blockade (PB) is an important quantum phenomenon in cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). Here, we investigate the PB effect in the simplest cavity QED systems (one cavity containing first a single atom and then two atoms), where only the atoms are weakly driven. Via the analytical calculation and numerical simulation, we show that the strong PB can be generated even with the weak-coupling regime at the total resonance. This blockade is ascribed to the two-photon absorption, which is fundamentally different from the conventional and unconventional blockade mechanisms. Therefore, our study provides an alternative approach to produce the PB in the atom-driven cavity QED system.

Entanglement Generation in Capacitively Coupled Transmon–Cavity System

AbstractIn this paper, the higher energy levels of the transmon qubit are taken into consideration to investigate the continuous variable entanglement generation between the transmon qubit and the single‐mode cavity. Based on the framework of cavity Quantum Electrodynamics (QED), the authors show the entanglement generation depends on the driving field intensity, coupling strength, cavity field frequency, and qubit frequency. The numerical results show that strong entanglement can be generated by properly tuning these parameters. It is hoped that the results presented in this paper may lead to a better understanding of quantum entanglement generation in cavity QED systems and provide new perspectives for further research in quantum information processing.

Nonequilibrium dynamics of the Jaynes-Cummings dimer.

We investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics of a Josephson-coupled Jaynes-Cummings dimer in the presence of Kerr nonlinearity, which can be realized in the cavity and circuit quantum electrodynamics systems. The semiclassical dynamics is analyzed systematically to chart out a variety of photonic Josephson oscillations and their regime of stability. Different types of transitions between the dynamical states lead to the self-trapping phenomenon, which results in photon population imbalance between the two cavities. We also study the dynamics quantum mechanically to identify characteristic features of different steady states and to explore fascinating quantum effects, such as spin dephasing, phase fluctuation, and revival phenomena of the photon field, as well as the entanglement of spin qubits. For a particular "self-trapped" state, the mutual information between the atomic qubits exhibits a direct correlation with the photon population imbalance, which is promising for generating photon mediated entanglement between two non interacting qubits in a controlled manner. Under a sudden quench from stable to unstable regime, the photon distribution exhibits phase space mixing with a rapid loss of coherence, resembling a thermal state. Finally, we discuss the relevance of the new results in experiments, which can have applications in quantum information processing and quantum technologies.

Non‐Reciprocal Cavity Polariton with Atoms Strongly Coupled to Optical Cavity

AbstractBreaking the time‐reversal symmetry of light is of great importance for fundamental physics and has attracted increasing interest in the study of non‐reciprocal photonic devices. Here, a chiral cavity quantum electrodynamics system with multiple atoms strongly coupled to a Fabry–Pérot cavity is experimentally demonstrated. By polarizing the internal quantum state of the atoms, the time‐reversal symmetry of the atom‐cavity interaction is broken. The strongly coupled atom‐cavity system can be described by non‐reciprocal quasiparticles, that is, the cavity polariton. When it works in the linear regime, the inherent nonreciprocity makes the system work as a single‐photon‐level optical isolator. Benefiting from the collective enhancement of multiple atoms, an isolation ratio exceeding 30 dB on the single‐quanta level (≈ 0.1 photon on average) is achieved. The validity of the non‐reciprocal device under zero magnetic field and the reconfigurability of the isolation direction are also experimentally demonstrated. Moreover, when the cavity polariton works in the nonlinear regime, the quantum interference between polaritons with weak anharmonicity induces non‐reciprocal nonclassical statistics of cavity transmission from coherent probe light.

Collective Microwave Response for Multiple Gate-Defined Double Quantum Dots.

We fabricate and characterize a hybrid quantum device that consists of five gate-defined double quantum dots (DQDs) and a high-impedance NbTiN transmission resonator. The controllable interactions between DQDs and the resonator are spectroscopically explored by measuring the microwave transmission through the resonator in the detuning parameter space. Utilizing the high tunability of the system parameters and the high cooperativity (Ctotal > 17.6) interaction between the qubit ensemble and the resonator, we tune the charge-photon coupling and observe the collective microwave response changing from linear to nonlinear. Our results present the maximum number of DQDs coupled to a resonator and manifest a potential platform for scaling up qubits and studying collective quantum effects in semiconductor-superconductor hybrid cavity quantum electrodynamics systems.

Realizing strong photon blockade at exceptional points in the weak coupling regime

We theoretically prove that it is possible to realize strong photon blockade at n-order exceptional points (EPn) in a two-level quantum emitter (QE)–cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) system even if the emitter–cavity coupling strength is weak. When the single-mode cavity is gain, we show that the ultrastrong single-photon blockade (1 PB) emerges at two-order exceptional points (EP2), avoiding the strong non-linearity of the system. In addition, we first give the pseudo-Hermitian condition for the non-Hermitian cavity QED system and find that the third-order exceptional points (EP3) can be predicted under certain constraints of the parameters. For this case, the pronounced 1 PB at EP3 will be triggered. Furthermore, we also consider the usual EP2-enhanced 1 PB existing in the system with or without the dipole–dipole interaction (DDI) under the pseudo-Hermitian condition. A striking feature is that the system without DDI can realize more obvious 1 PB at EP2 than the case of with DDI. What is important is that both EP2 and EP3 will appear in the weak coupling regime. Our proposal sheds new light on strong EP-engineered photon blockade in the weak coupling regime, providing a unique platform for making high-quality single-photon sources.

Photon bound state dynamics from a single artificial atom

The interaction between photons and a single two-level atom constitutes a fundamental paradigm in quantum physics. The nonlinearity provided by the atom leads to a strong dependence of the light–matter interface on the number of photons interacting with the two-level system within its emission lifetime. This nonlinearity unveils strongly correlated quasiparticles known as photon bound states, giving rise to key physical processes such as stimulated emission and soliton propagation. Although signatures consistent with the existence of photon bound states have been measured in strongly interacting Rydberg gases, their hallmark excitation-number-dependent dispersion and propagation velocity have not yet been observed. Here we report the direct observation of a photon-number-dependent time delay in the scattering off a single artificial atom—a semiconductor quantum dot coupled to an optical cavity. By scattering a weak coherent pulse off the cavity–quantum electrodynamics system and measuring the time-dependent output power and correlation functions, we show that single photons and two- and three-photon bound states incur different time delays, becoming shorter for higher photon numbers. This reduced time delay is a fingerprint of stimulated emission, where the arrival of two photons within the lifetime of an emitter causes one photon to stimulate the emission of another.

Optical bistability and four-wave mixing response of a quantum dot coupled to an optomechanical photonic crystal nanocavity

We theoretically explore the nonlinear optical response including optical bistability and four-wave mixing (FWM) process in a hybrid cavity quantum electrodynamic (C-QED) system. The hybrid C-QED system consists of a quantum dot (QD) which is coherently driven by two-tone laser fields and embedded in an optomechanical photonic crystal (PhC) nanocavity. Our theoretical analysis demonstrates optical bistability, where the steady-state photon number follows a constant rise in the gain of the switch by controlling a strong pump field driving the QD. A strong coupling between quantised fields and matter (e.g. in optical cavities) is a successful approach for conventionally modifying the dressed state and by altering the field parameters, the modulation of QD dressed state is accomplished. In addition, we list the influence of off-resonant detuning, exciton-nanocavity coupling strength and Rabi coupling strength in our proposed system which generates a controllable four-wave mixing (FWM) signal in the output probe field of the system. The intensity of the FWM is significantly changed when strong coupling and high pump power are present simultaneously and results in the formation of an optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT) window and slow light. The investigation of the proposed system have potential application towards on-chip QD-based nanophotonic devices.

Tunable optical multistability and absorption in a hybrid optomechanical system assisted by an auxiliary cavity and quantum dot molecules

Coherent and tunable light-matter interaction in cavity quantum electrodynamics (C-QED) has attracted much attention for its fundamental importance and applications in emerging areas of quantum technologies. In this work, we propose a hybrid C-QED system comprising embedded quantum dot molecules (QDMs) in a primary photonic crystal (PhC) optomechanical cavity, which is further coupled to an auxiliary PhC cavity via a single-mode waveguide. We investigate the effect of the QDMs, mechanical oscillator, and the feedback from the auxiliary cavity on the multistability response shown by the mean intracavity photons in the primary optomechanical cavity. Tuning the various system parameters can control optical multistability. We further study the absorption spectra showing distinct characteristics of negative absorption (transparency dip), which strongly depend on mechanical resonator frequency. Thus, the proposed model is valuable for practically realizing efficient all-optical switching devices at low power and in various other quantum sensing devices.

Trapping of single atom and precise control of its coupling strength in micro-optical cavity

Cavity quantum electrodynamic system with strongly coupled single atoms provides a good platform for studying quantum information processing, quantum simulation, quantum network, and distributed quantum computing. Cooling and trapping single atoms is a crucial technique in the quantum technology. At present, in a high-finesse cavity with finite space, cooling and trapping single atoms is a big challenge, even though it is a mature technique for free space. Great efforts have been made to cool and trap single atoms inside a cavity, and for a trapped atom its lifetime has reached as long as tens of seconds. Developing a more flexible method of cooling and trapping single atoms in a cavity is still essential for a strongly coupled cavity quantum electrodynamic system. In this work, we demonstrate experimentally that a single cesium atom in a cavity can be trapped by utilizing a single optical tweezer settled in cavity mode, and its lifetime is (2.60 ± 0.18) s. The experiment is carried out in a Fabry-Perot cavity, which is assembled by two concave mirrors each with a curvature radius of 100 mm, and cavity length of 335 μm. The concave surfaces are highly reflective, and the cavity has a finesse of 6.1 × 10<sup>4</sup>. The 1080 nm optical tweezer with a waist of 2 μm is formed by an achromatic lens group with a numerical aperture of 0.4. At first, the precooled atomic assemble released from the magneto-optical trap (MOT) is transferred into cavity mode by an optical dipole trap with a waist of 36 μm. Then, one of the successfully transferred atoms is captured by the optical tweezer with the aid of cavity cooling mechanism. A blue detuned cavity locking laser is used as a standing-wave optical trap along the cavity axis. The signal of successfully trapped one atom is obtained by recording transmission of the cavity that will decrease owing to the strong coupling induced vacuum Rabi splitting. Finally, we demonstrate the precise manipulation of the atom-cavity coupling strength, which is achieved by scanning the position of the trapped atom step by step by using a high-precision translation stage. The system realized in this work can be used to study the dynamics of single atom-photon interactions with adjustable coupling strength. In addition, the mechanism adopted in this work is compatible with constructing tweezer arrays inside cavity mode, and thus possesses more flexibility and great potentials in cavity-based quantum entanglement and quantum simulation.

Birefringence compensation utilizing quarter-wave plates in cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion process

Single-photon source is an essential element in quantum information processing, and extensively used in the proof-in-principle demonstration in quantum physics, quantum imaging, quantum cryptography, etc. Considering the operating temperature and system complexity, it is a favorable option to choose spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) combined with the enhancement effect of a cavity. When generating significant single-photon source via the cavity-enhanced type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion method, there appears inevitable birefringence effect which obviously influences the resonance condition. In order to compensate for birefringence effect, different approaches have been used such as introducing compensating crystal, placing a half-wave plate, tuning the temperature of the nonlinear crystal, customized conjoined double-cavity structure, and cluster effect. In this work, two quarter-wave plates, with an angle of 45° between the optical axis and the crystal axis, are placed in the cavity to ensure the double resonance of signal photon and idler photon. In the process, the signal photon and idler photon generated simultaneously have different polarizations perpendicular to each other through the type-II nonlinear crystal. Considering horizontally polarized photon, its polarization is changed into left circular polarization by the first quarter-wave plate and then returns as vertical polarization. After traversing a long optical path, it shifts to right circular polarization through the second quarter-wave plate. When the photon passes through the same quarter-wave plate again, the polarization state is originally converted into horizontal polarization state. Then the photon completes a round-trip. The other photon with vertical polarization experiences the same process. As a result, the signal photon and idler photon travel identical optical path. The general explanation is described by the Jones matrices, with the emphasis on the transformation of the polarizations of photons. This method can effectively compensate for birefringence effect, achieving double resonance by using a relatively simple device under the condition of smaller intra-cavity loss and more flexible for adjustment. The signal (idler) photon has a sub-natural linewidth of <inline-formula><tex-math id="Z-20230611154134">\begin{document}$1.01( 1.08 )\;{\rm{MHz}} $\end{document}</tex-math><alternatives><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="12-20230422_Z-20230611154134.jpg"/><graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="12-20230422_Z-20230611154134.png"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed technique. This introduced compensating method paves the way to the realization of single-photon quantum source applied to the research of single-photon-single-atom quantum information processing, quantum interface and quantum network node with a single cesium atom confined in the strongly coupled cavity quantum electrodynamics system.

Nonlinear dissipation-induced photon blockade

We propose a theoretical scheme for photon blockade in a cavity quantum electrodynamic system consisting of an $N$-type atomic medium interacting with a single-mode Fabry-P\'erot cavity. In contrast to inefficient nonlinear-dispersion-induced photon blockade suppressed by a large detuning of atomic transitions, the photon blockade in our scheme is induced by a large nonlinear dissipation of the cavity created by the near-resonant $N$-type atomic system. A deep photon blockade is manifested by a vanishing equal-time second-order correlation function within the cavity linewidth. We also provide an explanation for this dissipation-induced photon blockade. This work provides an efficient photon blockade because it works in the near-resonance case.