Nonclassical Light Research Articles

Chem/bio sensing with non-classical light and integrated photonics.

Modern quantum technology currently experiences extensive advances in applicability in communications, cryptography, computing, metrology and lithography. Harnessing this technology platform for chem/bio sensing scenarios is an appealing opportunity enabling ultra-sensitive detection schemes. This is further facilliated by the progress in fabrication, miniaturization and integration of visible and infrared quantum photonics. Especially, the combination of efficient single-photon sources together with waveguiding/sensing structures, serving as active optical transducer, as well as advanced detector materials is promising integrated quantum photonic chem/bio sensors. Besides the intrinsic molecular selectivity and non-destructive character of visible and infrared light based sensing schemes, chem/bio sensors taking advantage of non-classical light sources promise sensitivities beyond the standard quantum limit. In the present review, recent achievements towards on-chip chem/bio quantum photonic sensing platforms based on N00N states are discussed along with appropriate recognition chemistries, facilitating the detection of relevant (bio)analytes at ultra-trace concentration levels. After evaluating recent developments in this field, a perspective for a potentially promising sensor testbed is discussed for reaching integrated quantum sensing with two fiber-coupled GaAs chips together with semiconductor quantum dots serving as single-photon sources.

Variation of nonclassical states of light

We consider a beam splitter as an optical device to generate a class of nonclassical states out of a nonclassical input state. On sending a nonclassical light toward one input port and the vacuum to the other, one can generally obtain the two output lights which are less nonclassical than the input state. We also consider the limit, in which the input intensity grows indefinitely and the trasmission coefficient vanishes such that their product becomes finite, to find various states of light lying between nonclassical and classical states.

Red single-photon emission from InAs/AlGaAs quantum dots

AbstractWe report on single-photon emission of InAs/AlGaAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. By varying the growth conditions the QDs luminescence could be tuned over a wide wavelength range from 0.64 to 1 μm, including red part of the visible spectrum. Emission properties of individual QDs are investigated by micro-photoluminescence (μ-PL) spectroscopy using 500-nm-size etched mesa structures. Autocorrelation functions of photons from single QDs, measured in the wide spectral range demonstrate antibunching effect at zero delay time with a value of g ^(2)(0) ~ 0.17 that is a clear evidence of non-classical light.

Nonclassical photon pairs from warm atomic vapor using a single driving laser.

Generation of nonclassical light is an essential tool for quantum optics research and applications in quantum information technology. We present realization of the source of nonclassically correlated photon pairs based on the process of spontaneous four-wave-mixing in warm atomic vapor. Atoms are excited only by a single laser beam in retro-reflected configuration and narrowband frequency filtering is employed for selection of correlated photon pairs. Nonclassicality of generated light fields is proved by analysis of their statistical properties. Measured parameters of the presented source promise further applicability for efficient interaction with atomic ensembles.

Nonlinear photonics with high-Q whispering-gallery-mode resonators

High- and ultrahigh-Q whispering-gallery mode resonators have the capability to trap photons by total internal reflection for a duration ranging from nanoseconds to milliseconds. These exceptionally long photon lifetimes enhance the light–matter interactions at all scales, namely at the electronic, molecular, and lattice levels. As a consequence, nonlinear photon scattering can be triggered with very low threshold powers, down to a few microwatts. The possibility to efficiently harness photon–photon interactions with a system optimizing size, weight, power, and cost constraints has created a new, quickly thriving research area in photonics science and technology. This topic is inherently cross-disciplinary, as it stands at the intersection of nonlinear and quantum optics, crystallography, optoelectronics, and microwave photonics. From a fundamental perspective, high-Q whispering-gallery mode resonators have emerged as an ideal platform to investigate light–matter interactions in nonlinear bulk materials. From an applied viewpoint, technological applications include time-metrology, aerospace engineering, coherent optical fiber communications, or nonclassical light generation, among others. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the most recent advances in this area, which is increasingly gaining importance in contemporary photonics.

Quantum-enhanced interferometry with cavity QED-generated non-classical light

We propose an enhanced optical interferometer based on tailored non-classical light generated by nonlinear dynamics and projective measurements in a three-level atom cavity QED system. A coherent state in the cavity becomes dynamically entangled with two ground states of the atom and is transformed to a macroscopic superposition state via a projective measurement on the atom. We show that the resulting highly non-classical state can improve interferometric precision measurements well beyond the shot-noise limit once combined with a classical laser pulse at the input of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. For a practical implementation, we identify an efficient phase shift estimation scheme based on the counting of photons at the interferometer output. Photon losses and photon-counting errors deteriorate the interferometer sensitivity, but we demonstrate that it still can be significantly better than the shot-noise limit under realistic conditions.Graphical abstract

Enhancing photon correlations through plasmonic strong coupling

There is an increasing scientific and technological interest on the design and implementation of nanoscale sources of quantum light. Here, we investigate the quantum statistics of the light scattered from a plasmonic nanocavity coupled to a mesoscopic ensemble of emitters under low coherent pumping. We present an analytical description of the intensity correlations taking place in these systems, and unveil the fingerprint of plasmon-exciton-polaritons in them. Our findings reveal that plasmonic cavities are able to retain and enhance excitonic nonlinearities even when the number of emitters is large. This makes plasmonic strong coupling a promising route for generating nonclassical light beyond the single emitter level.

Photon scattering by an atomic ensemble coupled to a one-dimensional nanophotonic waveguide

We theoretically investigate the quantum scattering of a single-photon pulse interacting with an ensemble of $\Lambda$-type three-level atoms coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide. With an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, we study the collective interaction between the atoms mediated by the waveguide mode. In our scheme, the atoms are randomly placed in the lattice along the axis of the one-dimensional waveguide, which closely corresponds to the practical condition that the atomic positions can not be controlled precisely in experiment. Many interesting optical properties occur in our waveguide-atom system, such as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and optical depth. Moreover, we observe that strong photon-photon correlation with quantum beats can be generated in the off-resonant case, which provides an effective candidate for producing non-classical light in experiment. With remarkable progress in waveguide-emitter system, our scheme may be feasible in the near future.

Free-space quantum links under diverse weather conditions

Free-space optical communication links are promising channels for establishing secure quantum communication. Here we study the transmission of nonclassical light through a turbulent atmospheric link under diverse weather conditions, including rain or haze. To include these effects, the theory of light transmission through atmospheric links in the elliptic-beam approximation presented by Vasylyev et al. [D. Vasylyev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 090501 (2016); arXiv:1604.01373] is further generalized.It is demonstrated, with good agreement between theory and experiment, that low-intensity rain merely contributes additional deterministic losses, whereas haze also introduces additional beam deformations of the transmitted light. Based on these results, we study theoretically the transmission of quadrature squeezing and Gaussian entanglement under these weather conditions.

Photostable Molecules on Chip: Integrated Sources of Nonclassical Light

The on-chip integration of quantum light sources and nonlinear elements constitutes a major step toward scalable photon-based quantum information processing and communication. In this work we demonstrate the potential of a hybrid technology that combines organic-molecule-based quantum emitters and dielectric chips consisting of ridge waveguides and grating far-field couplers. In particular, dibenzoterrylene molecules in thin anthracene crystals are used as single-photon sources, exhibiting long-term photostability, easy fabrication methods, almost unitary quantum yield, and lifetime-limited emission at cryogenic temperatures. We couple such single emitters to silicon nitride ridge waveguides, showing a coupling efficiency of up to 42 ± 2% over both propagation directions. Our results open a novel path toward a fully integrated and scalable photon-processing platform.

Noncritical generation of nonclassical frequency combs via spontaneous rotational symmetry breaking

Synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillators (SPOPOs) are optical cavities containing a nonlinear crystal capable of down-converting a frequency comb to lower frequencies. These have received a lot of attention lately, because their intrinsic multimode nature makes them compact sources of quantum correlated light with promising applications in modern quantum information technologies. In this work we show that SPOPOs are also capable of accessing the challenging but interesting regime where spontaneous symmetry breaking plays a crucial role in the quantum properties of the emitted light, difficult to access with any other nonlinear optical cavity. Apart from opening the possibility of studying experimentally this elusive regime of dissipative phase transitions, our predictions will have a practical impact, since we show that spontaneous symmetry breaking provides a specific spatiotemporal mode with perfect squeezing for any value of the system parameters, turning SPOPOs into robust sources of highly nonclassical light above threshold.

On the origin of nonclassical light generation upon resonant excitation of a GaAs semiconductor microcavity

It was shown in JETP Lett. 102, 508 (2015) that the intensity correlation function of the emission from a high-quality-factor semiconductor microcavity under resonant optical pumping exhibits an oscillatory behavior with an unexpectedly long oscillation period and a long decay time, which fall in the nanosecond range. A further investigation demonstrates that the origin of these oscillations is not related to the weak Rabi interaction between long-lived localized exciton states in the quantum well and the electromagnetic field of the microcavity mode. It proves that the semiconductor microcavity plays a secondary role in the observation of nonclassical light: it provides the spectral selection of the modes of the pump laser. We believe that intrinsic instabilities lead to the chaotic excitation of spiking in the laser modes under a constant operating current.

Coherent interaction of single molecules and plasmonic nanowires

Quantum plasmonics opens the option to integrate complex quantum optical circuitry onto chip scale devices. In the past, often external light sources were used and nonclassical light was coupled in and out of plasmonic structures, such as hole arrays or waveguide structures. Another option to launch single plasmonic excitations is the coupling of single emitters in the direct proximity of, e.g., a silver or gold nanostructure. Here, we present our attempts to integrate the research of single emitters with wet-chemically grown silver nanowires. The emitters of choice are single organic dye molecules under cryogenic conditions, which are known to act as high-brightness and extremely narrow-band single photon sources. Another advantage is their high optical nonlinearity, such that they might mediate photon–photon interactions on the nanoscale. We report on the coupling of a single molecule fluorescence emission through the wire over the length of several wavelengths. The transmission of coherently emitted photons is proven by an extinction type experiment. As for influencing the spectral properties of a single emitter, we are able to show a remote change of the line-width of a single terrylene molecule, which is in close proximity to the nanowire.

The Interaction of a N-Type Four Level Atom with the Electromagnetic Field for a Kerr Medium Induced Intensity-Dependent Coupling

The interaction of a N-type four-level atom with a single field in the presence of an intensity-dependent coupling in a nonlinear Kerr medium is investigated. The exact analytic solution is obtained in the case that the atom and electromagnetic field are initially in a higher excited state and a coherent state, respectively. It is then demonstrated that effects such as nonclassical light generation, degree of entanglement stabilization, Kerr medium nonclassical control, and squeezed light are can be more efficiently implemented within this four-level framework than in many competing procedures. Additionally, inversion, linear entropy, Mandel Q-parameter and normal squeezing dynamics are examined.

Emission of Nonclassical Radiation by Inelastic Cooper Pair Tunneling.

We show that a properly dc-biased Josephson junction in series with two microwave resonators of different frequencies emits photon pairs in the resonators. By measuring auto- and intercorrelations of the power leaking out of the resonators, we demonstrate two-mode amplitude squeezing below the classical limit. This nonclassical microwave light emission is found to be in quantitative agreement with our theoretical predictions, up to an emission rate of 2 billion photon pairs per second.

On-Chip Waveguide Coupling of a Layered Semiconductor Single-Photon Source.

Fully integrated quantum technology based on photons is in the focus of current research, because of its immense potential concerning performance and scalability. Ideally, the single-photon sources, the processing units, and the photon detectors are all combined on a single chip. Impressive progress has been made for on-chip quantum circuits and on-chip single-photon detection. In contrast, nonclassical light is commonly coupled onto the photonic chip from the outside, because presently only few integrated single-photon sources exist. Here, we present waveguide-coupled single-photon emitters in the layered semiconductor gallium selenide as promising on-chip sources. GaSe crystals with a thickness below 100 nm are placed on Si3N4 rib or slot waveguides, resulting in a modified mode structure efficient for light coupling. Using optical excitation from within the Si3N4 waveguide, we find nonclassicality of generated photons routed on the photonic chip. Thus, our work provides an easy-to-implement and robust light source for integrated quantum technology.

Interfacing a quantum dot with a spontaneous parametric down-conversion source

Quantum networks require interfacing stationary and flying qubits. These flying qubits are usually nonclassical states of light. Here we consider two of the leading source technologies for nonclassical light, spontaneous parametric down-conversion and single semiconductor quantum dots. Down-conversion delivers high-grade entangled photon pairs, whereas quantum dots excel at producing single photons. We report on an experiment that joins these two technologies and investigates the conditions under which optimal interference between these dissimilar light sources may be achieved.

Generating non-classical light inside an optical cavity by depositing photons

The creation of non-classical states of light is an interesting problem, that we solve sending atoms through an optical cavity. We show that it is possible to add or subtract many photons from a cavity field by interacting it resonantly with a two-level atom. The atom, after entangling with the field inside the cavity and exiting it, may be measured in one of the Schmidt states, producing a multiphoton process (in the sense that can add or annihilate more photons than a single transition allows), i.e. adding or subtracting several photons from the cavity field. By plotting the quadratures and the Husimi Q-function, we also show that the non-classical state produced by such measurements is a squeezed state.

Phase-modulated photon antibunching in a two-level system coupled to two cavities

Nonclassical light fields can be generated from two coupled cavities that are interacted with a two-level system. This scheme is drawing extensive attention because the mode coupling can reduce the requirement of coupling constants between the light fields and the two-level system. However, the effect of phase differences between different coupling constants on photon antibunching is always neglected. Considering a two-level system interacting with two coupled cavities, we analyze the statistical properties of the cavity field and show that the photon antibunching can be affected by the phase differences of coupling constants between the two-level system and the cavity modes, or between the cavity modes and the driving fields, and thus we can engineer the phases to optimally modulate single-photon sources or nonclassical light fields.

The blue light indicator in rubidium 5S–5P–5D cascade excitation

The cascade system has played an important role in contemporary research areas related to fields like Rydberg excitation, four wave mixing and non-classical light generation, etc. Depending on the specific objective, co or counter propagating pump–probe laser experimental geometry is followed. However, the stepwise excitation of atoms to states higher than the first excited state deals with increasingly much fewer number of atoms even compared to the population at first excited level. Hence, one needs a practical indicator to study the complex photon–atom interaction of the cascade system. Here, we experimentally analyze the case of rubidium 5S → 5P → 5D as a specimen of two-step excitation and highlight the efficacy of monitoring one branch, which emits ~420 nm, of associated cascade decay route 5D → 6P → 5S, as an effective monitor of the coherence in the system.