Heidelberg 2015 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 58: Quantum Effects: Cavity QED II

Q 58.2: Talk

Thursday, March 26, 2015, 14:45–15:00, B/gHS

Photon number dependent group velocity in vacuum induced transparency — •Nikolai Lauk and Michael Fleischhauer — Fachbereich Physik und Forschungszentrum OPTIMAS, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Deutschland

We investigate the spatial separation of different photon number components of a coherent pulse in vacuum induced transparency (VIT). VIT is an effect which occurs in an ensemble of three level atoms in a Λ configuration that interact with two quantized fields. Coupling of one transition to a cavity mode induces transparency for the second field on the otherwise opaque transition similar to the well known EIT effect. In the strong coupling regime even an empty cavity leads to transparency, in contrast to EIT where the presence of a strong control field is required. This transparency is accompanied by a reduction of the group velocity for the propagating field. However, unlike in EIT the group velocity in VIT depends on the number of incoming photons. This allows one to spatially separate different photon number components of an initially coherent pulse.

In particular if one is interested in spatial separation of the single photon component from the rest, it is sufficient to consider the case of an input field which contains up to two photons. Here we present an exact solution for this case which can be obtained by numerically solving the corresponding Schrödinger equation and discuss a possible experimental realization.