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arXiv:1303.3687 · Physical Review Letters

Quantum Routing of Single Photons with a Cyclic Three-Level System

Lan Zhou, Li‐Ping Yang, Yong Li, C. P. Sun

Published Sep 4, 2013• 298 citations
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Abstract

We propose an experimentally accessible single-photon routing scheme using a △-type three-level atom embedded in quantum multichannels composed of coupled-resonator waveguides. Via the on-demand classical field being applied to the atom, the router can extract a single photon from the incident channel, and then redirect it into another. The efficient function of the perfect reflection of the single-photon signal in the incident channel is rooted in the coherent resonance and the existence of photonic bound states.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.111.103604

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We propose an experimentally accessible single-photon routing scheme using a △-type three-level atom embedded in quantum multichannels composed of coupled-resonator waveguides. Via the on-demand classical field being applied to the atom, the router can extract a single photon from the incident channel, and then redirect it into another. The efficient function of the perfect reflection of the single-photon signal in the incident channel is rooted in the coherent resonance and the existence of photonic bound states.
We propose an efficient single-photon router comprising two resonator waveguide channels coupled by several sequential cavities with embedded three-level atoms. We show that the system can operate as a perfect four-way single-photon switch. We also demonstrate that an incident single photon propagating in one of the waveguides can be routed into one or the other output channels; such routing can be controlled by the external classical electromagnetic field driving the atoms. We argue that, under appropriate conditions, the efficiency of such routing can be close to 100% within a broad operational bandwidth, suggesting various applications in photonics.
We propose a single-photon router using a single atom with an inversion center coupled to quantum multichannels made of coupled-resonator waveguides. We show that the spontaneous emission of the atom can direct single photons from one quantum channel into another. The on-demand classical field perfectly switches off the single-photon routing due to the quantum interference in the atomic amplitudes of optical transitions. Total reflections in the incident channel are due to the photonic bound state in the continuum. Two virtual channels, named the scatter-free and controllable channels, are found, which are coherent superpositions of quantum channels. Any incident photon in the scatter-free channel is totally transmitted. The propagating states of the controllable channel are orthogonal to those of the scatter-free channel. Single photons in the controllable channel can be perfectly reflected or transmitted by the atom.
We propose a quantum routing scheme based on coupled-cavity waveguides incorporating a three-level quantum dot with classical-field-driven cyclic transitions and an additional two-level quantum dot acting as an atomic-like mirror. In contrast to conventional single-emitter or simple multi-emitter configurations, where the photon transfer rate is typically limited to 0.5, the proposed system introduces an additional interference pathway via the auxiliary quantum dot, enabling enhanced routing controllability. By employing discrete scattering theory, we analytically derive the transmission, reflection, and inter-waveguide transfer coefficients and systematically investigate their dependence on the Rabi frequency, emitter–waveguide coupling strength, detuning, and incident direction. The results show that the interplay between dressed-state formation and multi-channel interference significantly modifies the spectral response of the system. In particular, the transfer rate into the secondary waveguide can exceed 0.5 under appropriate conditions, demonstrating a clear advantage over previously reported schemes. These findings provide a physically transparent mechanism for achieving flexible and efficient single-photon routing and offer theoretical guidance for the design of integrated quantum photonic devices, such as quantum routers, beam splitters, and on-chip quantum network components.
We have suggested a novel multiport quantum router of single photons with reflection feedback, which is formed by three waveguides coupled with four single-mode microresonators. The single-photon routing probabilities of four channels in the coupled system are studied theoretically by applying the real-space approach. Numerical results indicate that unidirectional routing in these output channels can be effectively implemented, and the router is tunable to route desired frequencies into the output ports, by varying the inter-resonator detunings via spinning resonator technology. Therefore, the proposed multichannel system can provide potential applications in optical quantum communication.
Quantum routers are the necessary elements of the quantum information network, and thus their routing capabilities are particularly important. With the atomic mirrors robustly controlling the reflected or transmitted coefficient of the waveguide photon, we show that a two-level atom can be served as an ideal quantum router to redirect a single photon from the input waveguide into the output waveguides (OWGs) with designable probabilities, e.g., 100100%100 for one OWG, 1/21/21/2 to one of the two OWGs, and 1/31/31/3 to one of the three OWGs, etc.. The influence of the atomic dissipations on the routing capability is also discussed.
Single-photon routing between two one-dimensional waveguides mediated by a single-mode cavity embedded with a time-modulated two-level atom is investigated. Two configurations, where the single photon is incident from an infinite or semi-infinite waveguide, are considered. Using the analytical expressions of the single-photon scattering amplitudes, the transmission behaviors in the two waveguides are discussed. The results show that the time modulation of the atomic frequency enables a dynamically tunable quantum router. A single photon with different frequencies can be routed dynamically from the incident waveguide to the other by properly manipulating the amplitude-to-frequency ratio of the atom. The routing efficiency can be improved to approach 100% by terminating the incident waveguide. In the semi-waveguide configuration, the routing behaviors controlled by the quantum coherent feedback are also investigated. The influence of the phase shifts introduced by the terminated waveguide on the routing capability and the conditions for perfect single-photon routing are discussed in detail. A frequency tunable targeted single-photon router can even be realized with the help of chiral coupling. These results may be beneficial to the photon control in a quantum network based on time-modulated quantum nodes.