Erlangen 2018 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 55: Quantum Effects

Q 55.1: Group Report

Thursday, March 8, 2018, 10:30–11:00, K 1.013

Strong Coupling between Photons of Two Light Fields mediated by one Atom — •Nicolas Tolazzi, Christoph Hamsen, Bo Wang, Jonas Neumaier, Gang Li, Alejandro González-Tudela, Tatjana Wilk, and Gerhard Rempe — Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Hans-Kopfermann-Straße 1, 85748 Garching

The key ingredient for many applications in quantum information processing is the controlled interaction between individual photons. In classical nonlinear optical media, typical interaction strengths are negligible at the level of individual quanta. However a significant interaction between single photons can be reached in single atom cavity quantum electrodynamics. Despite this paradigm’s success in quantum nonlinear optics with multiple photons in one mode, engineering a system with direct nonlinear coupling between photons in two different modes is still an outstanding challenge. Here, we discuss how two optical cavity fields can be brought to interaction using a single four-level atom. While each field by itself is transmitted unaltered, already a single photon in one mode suppresses the transmission of photons in the other mode. As experimental proof we show strong anti correlations between the photons in the different light fields. Extending this system to the dispersive regime for one of the cavity modes would allow for sensing the exact number of photons in that mode without destroying them, leading to nondestructive counting of photons and heralded n-photon sources. We will present ideas, experimental results and perspectives towards the realization of such effects.