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arXiv:1110.5386 · Physical Review A

Non-Markovian dynamics and strong coupling between atomic transitions and a waveguide continuum edge

Ting Chen, Ren‐Bao Liu

Published Apr 19, 2012• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In quantum communication and distributed quantum computing, one-dimensional (1D) waveguides provide directional transfer of quantum information. A single-mode waveguide has a density-of-states singularity at the lower cut-off frequency, which resembles sharp resonances of a cavity but with non-Markovian dynamics. Thus we put forward schemes of coupling atomic transitions and a waveguide continuum edge. We first present a scheme of spin-photon quantum interface operating in the non-Markovian regime for a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type three-level system coupled to a waveguide. Then we show that strong coupling between atomic transitions and a waveguide continuum edge can lead to vacuum Rabi oscillations and bound polariton states.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.85.043830

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In quantum communication and distributed quantum computing, one-dimensional (1D) waveguides provide directional transfer of quantum information. A single-mode waveguide has a density-of-states singularity at the lower cut-off frequency, which resembles sharp resonances of a cavity but with non-Markovian dynamics. Thus we put forward schemes of coupling atomic transitions and a waveguide continuum edge. We first present a scheme of spin-photon quantum interface operating in the non-Markovian regime for a \ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ-type three-level system coupled to a waveguide. Then we show that strong coupling between atomic transitions and a waveguide continuum edge can lead to vacuum Rabi oscillations and bound polariton states.
Describing systems of superconducting atoms coupled to a continuum of photonic modes at multiple separated locations in a waveguide, waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) with giant atoms has emerged as a promising platform for realizing quantum interconnect. Such systems have been reported to exhibit rich phenomena that differ from those of natural atoms. Going beyond the widely used Born-Markov and Wigner-Weisskopf approximations, we investigate the non-Markovian dynamics of one and two giant atoms interacting with a waveguide formed by an array of coupled resonators. We discover that the diverse dynamical behaviors of the giant atoms are intrinsically determined by the energy spectrum of the composite system consisting of the giant atoms and the photonic modes in the waveguide. As long as one and more bound states are present in the energy spectrum, their excited-state probabilities, respectively, tend to stable finite values and lossless Rabi-like oscillations with frequencies proportional to the differences of the bound-state eigenenergies. Our result provides an insightful guideline for suppressing the decoherence of giant atoms and facilitates the development of quantum interconnect devices using giant-atom waveguide QED.
Abstract We investigate the quantum dynamics of two two-level atoms coupled to a one-dimensional resonator waveguide. Using the resolvent method, we obtain exact analytical solutions for the atomic evolution and photon scattering processes within the single-excitation subspace. The photonic band structure of the waveguide dictates distinctly different dynamical regimes. For atomic frequencies at the band center and small interatomic separation, the system exhibits Markovian decay and relaxes into a steady-state subradiant Bell entangled state. In contrast, near the band edge, non-Markovian dynamics dominates, leading to the formation of atom-photon bound states that mediate persistent, coherent interactions between the atoms. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the atomic detuning and separation provide effective control over singlephoton scattering, enabling a tunable quantum interface.
We theoretically investigate quantum Rabi oscillations in a system consisting of a two-level atom (qubit) strongly coupled to a one-dimensional open waveguide. In contrast to conventional cavity quantum electrodynamics, the qubit interacts with a continuum of propagating modes, which gives rise to fundamentally different dynamical behavior. Within the rotating-wave approximation, we express the multimode Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian in terms of collective bosonic operators and show that the system possesses two integrals of motion, enabling an exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian in the single-excitation subspace. We show that for a strongly interacting qubit-photon system, the dynamics are captured by a reduced two-level model. In this framework, each level is defined as the product of the atomic excited state and a specific field mode, which takes the form of a multiphoton Fock-like state. In this picture, the Rabi oscillations represent a collective phenomenon corresponding to oscillations between multiphoton states differing by a single photon. We then extend our analysis to multiphoton processes in which the initial field is a coherent state with a continuous spectrum. In this case, the Rabi frequency is shown to be sensitive to the spectral profile of the function that generates the coherent state.
Experiments based on cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) are widely used to study the interaction of a light field with a discrete frequency spectrum and emitters. More recently, the field of waveguide QED has attracted interest due to the strong interaction between propagating photons and emitters that can be obtained in nanophotonic waveguides, where a continuum of frequency modes is allowed. Both cavity and waveguide QED share the common goal of harnessing and deepening the understanding of light-matter coupling. However, they often rely on very different experimental setups and theoretical descriptions. Here, we experimentally investigate the transition from cavity to waveguide QED with an ensemble of cold atoms that is coupled to a fiber-ring resonator, which contains a nanofiber section. By varying the length of the resonator from a few meters to several tens of meters, we tailor the spectral density of modes of the resonator while remaining in the strong coupling regime. When increasing the resonator length, we observe a continuous transition from the paradigmatic Rabi oscillations of cavity QED to non-Markovian dynamics reminiscent of waveguide QED.
When atoms are optically coupled to a one dimensional waveguide, they can interact through macroscopic distances. The retardation effects inherent to field propagation and the associated delay in information backflow between the atoms result in a departure from the familiar Markovian dynamics. We study the case of two two level atoms coupled along a waveguide. One remarkable feature of the dynamics in this regime is the formation of long-lived bound states in the continuum (BIC),30 that refer to a hybrid diatomic molecule bound together by propagating modes of a field. In particular, we study the probability of reaching such a bound states of the system starting in an initially anti-symmetric state of the emitters.