We study systems of fully polarized ultracold atomic gases obeying Fermi statistics. The atomic transition interacts dispersively with a mode of a standing-wave cavity, which is coherently pumped by a laser. In this setup, the intensity of the intracavity field is determined by the refractive index of the atomic medium, and thus by the atomic density distribution. Vice versa, the density distribution of the atom is determined by the cavity field potential, whose depth is proportional to the intracavity field amplitude. In this work we show that this nonlinearity leads to an instability in the intracavity intensity that differs substantially from dispersive optical bistability, as this effect is already present in the regime, where the atomic dipole is proportional to the cavity field. Such instability is driven by the matter waves fluctuations and exhibits a peculiar dependence on the fluctuations in the atomic density distribution.
The concept of an acoustical analog of the optical laser has been developed recently both in theoretical as well as experimental works. We discuss here a model of a coherent phonon generator with a direct signature of quantum properties of the sound vibrations. The considered setup is made of a laser driven quantum dot (QD) embedded in an acoustical nanocavity. The system's dynamics is solved for a single phonon mode in the steady-state and in the strong QD-phonon coupling regime beyond the secular approximation. We demonstrate that the phonon statistics exhibits quantum features, i.e. sub-Poi…
We report a wavelength division multiplexed time-bin entangled photon pair source in telecom wavelength using a 10 μm radius Si ring resonator. This compact resonator has two add ports and two drop ports. By pumping one add port by a continuous laser, we demonstrate an efficient generation of two-wavelength division multiplexed time-bin entangled photon pairs in the telecom C-band, which come out of one drop port, and are then split into the signal and idler photons via a wavelength filter. The resonator structure enhances four wave mixing for pair generation. Moreover, we demonstrate the doub…
Occupation-selective photon-pair interactions in a flux-pumped SQUID resonator
Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa（蓬塔格罗萨州立大学）；Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)（圣保罗州立大学）；Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences（海南比勒费尔德应用科学大学）
We study the low temperature physics of an ultracold atomic gas in the potential formed inside a pumped optical resonator. Here, the height of the cavity potential, and hence the quantum state of the gas, depends not only on the pump parameters, but also on the atomic density through a dynamical a.c.-Stark shift of the cavity resonance. We derive the Bose-Hubbard model in one dimension, and use the strong coupling expansion to determine the parameter regime in which the system is in the Mott-insulator state. We predict the existence of overlapping, competing Mott states, and bistable behavior …
We show how interference effects are responsible for manipulating the output electromagnetic field of an optical micro-resonator in the good-cavity limit. The system of interest consists in a moderately strongly pumped two-level emitter embedded in the optical cavity. When an additional weaker laser of the same frequency is pumping the combined system through one of the resonator's mirrors then the output cavity electromagnetic field can be almost completely suppressed or enhanced. This is due to the interference among the scattered light by the strongly pumped atom into the cavity mode and th…
We measure the quantum fluctuations of a pumped nonlinear resonator, using a superconducting artificial atom as an in-situ probe. The qubit excitation spectrum gives access to the frequency and temperature of the intracavity field fluctuations. These are found to be in agreement with theoretical predictions; in particular we experimentally observe the phenomenon of quantum heating.
We demonstrate time-bin entanglement generation in telecom wavelength using a 7 μm radius Si micro-ring resonator pumped by a continuous wave laser. The resonator structure can enhance spontaneous four wave mixing, leading to a photon pair generation rate of about 90-100 Hz with a laser pump power of as low as -3.92 dBm (0.41 mW). We succeed in observing time-bin entanglement with the visibility over 92%. Moreover, wavelength-tunability of the entangled photon pair is demonstrated by changing the operation temperature.
Integrated optical devices may replace bulk crystal or fiber based assemblies with a more compact and controllable photon pair and heralded single photon source and generate quantum light at telecommunications wavelengths. Here, we propose that a periodic waveguide consisting of a sequence of optical resonators may outperform conventional waveguides or single resonators and generate more than 1 Giga-pairs per second from a sub-millimeter-long room-temperature silicon device, pumped with only about 10 milliwatts of optical power. Furthermore, the spectral properties of such devices provide nove…
We investigate the quantum measurement noise effects on the dynamics of an atomic Bose lattice gas inside an optical resonator. We describe the dynamics by means of a hybrid model consisting of a Bose--Hubbard Hamiltonian for the atoms and a Heisenberg--Langevin equation for the lossy cavity field mode. We assume that the atoms are prepared initially in the ground state of the lattice Hamiltonian and then start to interact with the cavity mode. We show that the cavity field fluctuations originating from the dissipative outcoupling of photons from the resonator lead to vastly different effects …
We study the role of quantum statistics in the self-ordering of ultracold bosons and fermions moving inside an optical resonator with transverse coherent pumping. For few particles we numerically compute the nonequilibrium dynamics of the density matrix towards the self-ordered stationary state of the coupled atom-cavity system. We include quantum fluctuations of the particles and the cavity field. These fluctuations in conjunction with cavity cooling determine the stationary distribution of the particles, which exhibits a transition from a homogeneous to a spatially ordered phase with the app…
We investigate a paradigm example of cavity quantum electrodynamics with many body systems: an ultracold atomic gas inside a pumped optical resonator. In particular, we study the stability of atomic insulator-like states, confined by the mechanical potential emerging from the cavity field spatial mode structure. As in open space, when the optical potential is sufficiently deep, the atomic gas is in the Mott-like state. Inside the cavity, however, the potential depends on the atomic distribution, which determines the refractive index of the medium, thus altering the intracavity field amplitude.…
We report on our research effort to generate large-scale multipartite optical-mode entanglement using as few physical resources as possible. We have previously shown that cluster- and GHZ-type N-partite continuous-variable entanglement can be obtained in an optical resonator that contains a suitably designed second-order nonlinear optical medium, pumped by at most O(N^2) fields. In this paper, we show that the frequency comb of such a resonator can be entangled into an arbitrary number of independent 2x2 and 2x3 continuous-variable cluster states by a single optical parametric oscillator pumpe…
Optical parametric downconversion has proven to be a valuable source of nonclassical light. The process is inherently able to produce twin beam correlations along with individual intensity squeezing of either parametric beam, when pumped far above threshold. Here, we present for the first time the direct observation of intensity squeezing of -1.2 dB of each of the individual parametric beams in parametric downconversion by use of a high quality whispering gallery mode disk resonator. In addition we observed twin beam quantum correlations of -2.7 dB with this cavity. Such resonators feature str…
We experimentally investigate the formation of subradiant atomic momentum states in Bose-Einstein condensates inside a recoil resolving optical ring resonator according to the theoretical proposal of Cola, Bigerni, and Piovella. The atoms are pumped from the side with laser light that contains two frequency components. They resonantly drive cavity assisted Raman transitions between three discreet atomic momentum states. Within a few hundred microseconds, the system evolves into a stationary subradiant state. In this state, the condensate develops two density gratings suitable to diffract the t…
Generically, a laser is composed of an optical resonator coupled to a gain medium. If the light amplification via stimulated emission dominates the mirror losses, the emitted light is coherent. Recent studies have shown that sub-wavelength sized rings of quantum emitters possess subradiant eigenmodes which mimic high-Q optical resonators. We add a continuously pumped atom as a gain medium in the ring's center creating a minimalistic coherent light source. The system behaves like a thresholdless laser, featuring a narrow linewidth well below the natural linewidth of the constituent atoms.
Light scattering by a periodic atomic array is studied when the atoms couple with the mode of a high-finesse optical resonator and are driven by a laser. When the von-Laue condition is not satified, there is no coherent emission into the cavity mode, and the latter is pumped via inelastic scattering processes. We consider this situation and identify conditions for which different non-linear optical processes can occur. We show that these processes can be controlled by suitably tuning the strength of laser and cavity coupling, the angle between laser and cavity axis, and the array periodicity. …
The parametrically pumped Kerr model describes a driven-dissipative nonlinear cavity, whose nonequilibrium phase diagram features both continuous and discontinuous quantum phase transitions. We consider the consequences of these critical phenomena for the fluctuations of the photocurrent obtained via continuous weak measurements on the cavity. Considering both direct photodetection and homodyne detection schemes, we find that the current fluctuations diverge exponentially at the discontinuous phase transition. However, we find strikingly different current fluctuations for these two detection s…
Quantum repeaters rely on an interfacing of flying qubits with quantum memories. The most common implementations include a narrowband single photon matched in bandwidth and central frequency to an atomic system. Previously, we demonstrated the compatibility of our versatile source of heralded single photons, which is based on parametric down-conversion in a triply-resonant whispering-gallery mode resonator, with alkaline transitions [Schunk et al., Optica 2, 773 (2015)]. In this paper, we analyze our source in terms of phase matching, available wavelength-tuning mechanisms, and applications to…
We theoretically analyze superradiant emission of light from a cold atomic gas, when mechanical effects of photon-atom interactions are considered. The atoms are confined within a standing-wave resonator and an atomic metastable dipolar transition couples to a cavity mode. The atomic dipole is incoherently pumped in the parameter regime that would correspond to stationary superradiance in absence of inhomogeneous broadening. Starting from the master equation for cavity field and atomic degrees of freedom we derive a mean-field model that allows us to determine a threshold temperature, above wh…
Cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED) describes the coherent interaction between matter and an electromagnetic field confined within a resonator structure, and is providing a useful platform for developing concepts in quantum information processing. By using high-quality resonators, a strong coupling regime can be reached experimentally in which atoms coherently exchange a photon with a single light-field mode many times before dissipation sets in. This has led to fundamental studies with both microwave and optical resonators. To meet the challenges posed by quantum state engineering and…
We investigate the feasibility of correlating an optical cavity field and a vibrational phonon mode. A laser pumped quantum dot fixed on a nano-mechanical resonator beam interact as a whole with the optical resonator mode. When the quantum dot variables are faster than the optical and phonon ones, we obtain a final master equation describing the involved modes only. Increasing the temperature, that directly affects the vibrational degrees of freedom, one can as well influence the cavity photon intensity, i.e., the optical and phonon modes are correlated. Furthermore, the corresponding Cauchy-S…
One of the most studied model systems in quantum optics is a two-level atom strongly coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field stored in a cavity, a research field named cavity quantum electrodynamics or CQED. CQED has recently received renewed attention due to its implementation with superconducting artificial atoms and coplanar resonators in the so-called circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architecture. In cQED, the couplings can be much stronger than in CQED due to the design flexibility of superconducting circuits and to the enhanced field confinement in one-dimensional cav…
A scheme for an atomic beam quantum self-eraser is presented. The proposal is based on time reversal invariance on a quantum optical Ramsey fringes experiment, where a realization of complementarity for atomic coherence can be achieved. It consists of two high finesse resonators that are pumped and probed by the same atom. This property relates quantum erasing with time reversal symmetry, allowing for a full quantum erasing of the which-way information stored in the cavity fields. The outlined scheme also prepares and observes a non-local state in the fields of the resonators: a coherent super…
The collective dynamics of mobile scatterers and light in optical resonators generates complex behaviour. For strong transverse illumination a phase transition from homogeneous to crystalline particle order appears. In contrast, a gas inside a single-side pumped ring cavity exhibits an instability towards bunching and collective acceleration called collective atomic recoil lasing (CARL). We demonstrate that by driving two orthogonally polarized counter propagating modes of a ring resonator one realises both cases within one system. The corresponding phase diagram depending on the two pump inte…
We study the threshold conditions of spatial self organization combined with collective coherent optical backscattering of a thermal gaseous beam moving in a high Q ring cavity with counter propagating pump. We restrict ourselves to the limit of large detuning between the particles optical resonances and the light field, where spontaneous emission is negligible and the particles can be treated as polarizable point masses. Using a linear stability analysis in the accelerated rest frame of the particles we derive an analytic bounds for the selforganization as a function of particle number,averag…
In this article, we use quantum Langevin equations to provide a theoretical understanding of the non-classical behavior of Kerr optical frequency combs when pumped below and above threshold. In the configuration where the system is under threshold, the pump field is the unique oscillating mode inside the resonator, and triggers the phenomenon of spontaneous four-wave mixing, where two photons from the pump are symmetrically up- and down-converted in the Fourier domain. This phenomenon can only be understood and analyzed from a fully quantum perspective as a consequence of the coupling between …
The radiation emitted by a classically pumped three-level $Λ$-type emitter in a resonator cavity featuring both radiative and unwanted losses is studied. In particular, the efficiency of one-photon Fock state excitation of the outgoing wave packet and the spatio-temporal shape of the wave packet are investigated. It is shown that for given shape of the emitter--cavity interaction, adjusting the shape of the pump pulse renders it possible to generate the emission of one-photon Fock state wave packets of desired shape with high efficiency.
Spontaneous synchronization is a significant collective behavior of weakly coupled systems. Due to their inherent nonlinear nature, optomechanical systems can exhibit self-sustained oscillations which can be exploited for synchronizing different mechanical resonators. In this paper, we explore the synchronization dynamics of two membranes coupled to a common optical field within a cavity, and pumped with a strong blue-detuned laser drive. We focus on the system quantum dynamics in the parameter regime corresponding to synchronization of the classical motion of the two membranes. With an approp…
We study a single incoherently pumped atom moving within an optical high-Q resonator in the strong coupling regime. Using a semiclassical description for the atom and field dynamics, we derive a closed system of differential equations to describe this coupled atom-field dynamics. For sufficiently strong pumping the system starts lasing when the atom gets close to a field antinode, and the associated light forces provide for self-trapping of the atom. For a cavity mode blue detuned with respect to the atomic transition frequency this is combined with cavity induced motional cooling allowing for…
Prospects for reaching persistent entanglement between two spatially separated atomic Bose-Einstein condensates are outlined. The system set-up comprises of two condensates loaded in an optical lattice, which, in return, is confined within a high-Q optical resonator. The system is driven by an external laser that illuminates the atoms such that photons can scatter into the cavity. In the superradiant phase a cavity field is established and we show that the emerging cavity mediated interactions between the two condensates is capable of entangling them despite photon losses. This macroscopic ato…
Robust control and stabilization of optical frequency combs enables an extraordinary range of scientific and technological applications, including frequency metrology at extreme levels of precision, novel spectroscopy of quantum gases and of molecules from visible wavelengths to the far infrared, searches for exoplanets, and photonic waveform synthesis. Here we report on the stabilization of a microresonator-based optical comb (microcomb) by way of mechanical actuation. This represents an important step in the development of microcomb technology, which offers a pathway toward fully-integrated …
The multiphonon quantum dynamics in laser-pumped cavity optomechanical samples containing a vibrating mirror is investigated. Especially, we focus on dispersive interaction regimes where the externally applied coherent field frequency detuning from the optical resonator frequency is not equal to the mirror's oscillating frequency or to its multiples. As a result, for moderately strong couplings among the involved subsystems, the quantum dynamics of this complex system is described by multiphonon absorption or emission processes, respectively. Particularly, we demonstrate efficient ways to moni…
We study motion and field dynamics of a single-atom laser consisting of a single incoherently pumped free atom moving in an optical high-{\it Q} resonator. For sufficient pumping, the system starts lasing whenever the atom is close to a field antinode. If the field mode eigenfrequency is larger than the atomic transition frequency, the generated laser light attracts the atom to the field antinode and cools its motion. Using quantum Monte Carlo wave function simulations, we investigate this coupled atom-field dynamics including photon recoil and cavity decay. In the regime of strong coupling, t…
We demonstrate Purcell-like enhancement of Rayleigh scattering into a single optical mode of a Fabry-Perot resonator for several thermal atomic and molecular gases. The light is detuned by more than an octave, in this case by hundreds of nanometers, from any optical transition, making particle excitation and spontaneous emission negligible. The enhancement of light scattering into the resonator is explained quantitatively as an interference effect of light waves emitted by a classical driven dipole oscillator. Applications of our method include the sensitive, non-destructive in-situ detection …
We theoretically investigate the analog of electromagnetically induced transparency, absorption and parametric amplification in a hybrid opto-electromechanical system consisting of an optical cavity and a microwave cavity coupled to a common nanomechanical resonator. When the two cavity modes are driven on their respective red sidebands by two pump beams and a probe beam is applied to the optical cavity to monitor the optical response of the hybrid system, we find that a transparency window appears in the probe transmission spectrum due to destructive interference. When the optical cavity is p…
