Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1502.07274 · Physical Review X

Nonreciprocal Photon Transmission and Amplification via Reservoir Engineering

A. Metelmann, A. A. Clerk

Published Jun 15, 2015• 555 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Nonreciprocal photonic systems allow for the unidirectional transmission and amplification of photons, which enables a host of applications. A new and general approach for realizing nonreciprocal interactions shows how they can be used to construct quantum-limited amplifiers and isolators.
DOI
10.1103/physrevx.5.021025

Related papers

Phase-controlled unidirectional amplification in a gain-assisted cavity-QED system

Haozhen Li, Ran Zeng, Miao Hu +5 more

Abstract Optical nonreciprocal transmission with unidirectional amplification in a gain-assisted cavity-QED system is investigated. The results demonstrate that unidirectional amplification of this system is induced by the phase difference between the atom–cavity coupling strengths associated with the optical gain and a phase-controlled unidirectional amplifier can be achieved. The optimal parameter conditions for the observation of ideal unidirectional amplification are obtained analytically, and are shown to be dependent on phase, atom–cavity and cavity–cavity coupling strength, and atomic dissipation. In particular, it is found that atomic dissipation is another essential condition for the realization of nonreciprocal amplification other than breaking of the time-reversal symmetry, and our unidirectional amplifier is robust against atom–cavity coupling mismatch. Such unidirectional amplifiers are crucial nonreciprocal devices for controlling photon transmission and may have potential applications in quantum information processing.

Communications in Theoretical Physics•Aug 21, 2025•0 citations

Reservoir engineering for nonreciprocal photon coupling in three-dimensional helical waveguides

Yuan Liu, Shuyi Wang, Linhan Lin

A three-dimensional (3D) photonic waveguide array is proposed to simulate the concept of reservoir-engineering-induced nonreciprocal transmission. The reservoir is offered by coupling two optical modes simultaneously to an additional mode with loss, yielding a jump operator, which is a coherent superposition of annihilation operators of these two modes. The waveguides are helically curved, leading to a synthetic gauge field for the propagating photons and consequently an adjustable phase factor for the jump operator. The unidirectional coupling is derived analytically and verified numerically, and an intuitive interpretation is provided. Furthermore, the model is extended to a periodic lattice, where asymmetric hopping arises and unidirectional hopping appears for certain Bloch wave vectors. Our design is based on real-experiment parameters, which can be readily implemented by femtosecond laser direct writing of 3D waveguides in silica.

Physical Review A•Mar 25, 2025•4 citations

Nonreciprocity and Quantum Correlations of Light Transport in Hot Atoms via Reservoir Engineering

Xingda Lu, Wanxia Cao, Wei Yi +2 more

The breaking of reciprocity is a topic of great interest in fundamental physics and optical information processing applications. We demonstrate nonreciprocal light transport in a quantum system of hot atoms by engineering the dissipative atomic reservoir. Our scheme is based on the phase-sensitive light transport in a multichannel photon-atom interaction configuration, where the phase of collective atomic excitations is tunable through external driving fields. Remarkably, we observe interchannel quantum correlations that originate from interactions with the judiciously engineered reservoir. The nonreciprocal transport in a quantum optical atomic system constitutes a new paradigm for atom-based nonreciprocal optics and offers opportunities for quantum simulations with coupled optical channels.

arXiv:2104.11921•Physical Review Letters•Jun 4, 2021•56 citations

Nonreciprocal transition between two nondegenerate energy levels

Xun‐Wei Xu, Yan-Jun Zhao, Hui Wang +2 more

Stimulated emission and absorption are two fundamental processes of light–matter interaction, and the coefficients of the two processes should be equal. However, we will describe a generic method to realize the significant difference between the stimulated emission and absorption coefficients of two nondegenerate energy levels, which we refer to as a nonreciprocal transition. As a simple implementation, a cyclic three-level atom system, comprising two nondegenerate energy levels and one auxiliary energy level, is employed to show a nonreciprocal transition via a combination of synthetic magnetism and reservoir engineering. Moreover, a single-photon nonreciprocal transporter is proposed using two one-dimensional semi-infinite coupled-resonator waveguides connected by an atom with nonreciprocal transition effect. Our work opens up a route to design atom-mediated nonreciprocal devices in a wide range of physical systems.

arXiv:1908.08323•Photonics Research•Mar 12, 2021•10 citations

Nonreciprocal quantum optics: New effects and applications in quantum sensing

Ya‐Feng Jiao, Jie Wang, Qian Zhang +2 more

Recent advancements in quantum techniques have enabled the design and fabrication of nonreciprocal optical devices that operate in the deep quantum regime, where quantum statistical properties play a crucial role. Following this trend, recent studies have focused on exploring the relationship between quantum correlations and nonreciprocity. Here, we sketch the latest theoretical and experimental advances in generating and manipulating nonreciprocal quantum correlations and the advantages of quantum nonreciprocity for applications in one-way quantum sensing. From a broader perspective, leveraging nonreciprocal quantum correlations by breaking reciprocal symmetry can provide a promising pathway for enhancing the performance of noise-tolerant quantum sensors.

Fundamental Research•Jan 6, 2025•6 citations

Nonreciprocal transmission of single-photon in a spinning resonator coupled a qubit four-port photonic system

Huili Zhang, Hongjun Zhang, Xiaonan Chen +4 more

•Jan 1, 2025•0 citations
Abstract Optical nonreciprocal transmission with unidirectional amplification in a gain-assisted cavity-QED system is investigated. The results demonstrate that unidirectional amplification of this system is induced by the phase difference between the atom–cavity coupling strengths associated with the optical gain and a phase-controlled unidirectional amplifier can be achieved. The optimal parameter conditions for the observation of ideal unidirectional amplification are obtained analytically, and are shown to be dependent on phase, atom–cavity and cavity–cavity coupling strength, and atomic dissipation. In particular, it is found that atomic dissipation is another essential condition for the realization of nonreciprocal amplification other than breaking of the time-reversal symmetry, and our unidirectional amplifier is robust against atom–cavity coupling mismatch. Such unidirectional amplifiers are crucial nonreciprocal devices for controlling photon transmission and may have potential applications in quantum information processing.
A three-dimensional (3D) photonic waveguide array is proposed to simulate the concept of reservoir-engineering-induced nonreciprocal transmission. The reservoir is offered by coupling two optical modes simultaneously to an additional mode with loss, yielding a jump operator, which is a coherent superposition of annihilation operators of these two modes. The waveguides are helically curved, leading to a synthetic gauge field for the propagating photons and consequently an adjustable phase factor for the jump operator. The unidirectional coupling is derived analytically and verified numerically, and an intuitive interpretation is provided. Furthermore, the model is extended to a periodic lattice, where asymmetric hopping arises and unidirectional hopping appears for certain Bloch wave vectors. Our design is based on real-experiment parameters, which can be readily implemented by femtosecond laser direct writing of 3D waveguides in silica.
The breaking of reciprocity is a topic of great interest in fundamental physics and optical information processing applications. We demonstrate nonreciprocal light transport in a quantum system of hot atoms by engineering the dissipative atomic reservoir. Our scheme is based on the phase-sensitive light transport in a multichannel photon-atom interaction configuration, where the phase of collective atomic excitations is tunable through external driving fields. Remarkably, we observe interchannel quantum correlations that originate from interactions with the judiciously engineered reservoir. The nonreciprocal transport in a quantum optical atomic system constitutes a new paradigm for atom-based nonreciprocal optics and offers opportunities for quantum simulations with coupled optical channels.
Stimulated emission and absorption are two fundamental processes of light–matter interaction, and the coefficients of the two processes should be equal. However, we will describe a generic method to realize the significant difference between the stimulated emission and absorption coefficients of two nondegenerate energy levels, which we refer to as a nonreciprocal transition. As a simple implementation, a cyclic three-level atom system, comprising two nondegenerate energy levels and one auxiliary energy level, is employed to show a nonreciprocal transition via a combination of synthetic magnetism and reservoir engineering. Moreover, a single-photon nonreciprocal transporter is proposed using two one-dimensional semi-infinite coupled-resonator waveguides connected by an atom with nonreciprocal transition effect. Our work opens up a route to design atom-mediated nonreciprocal devices in a wide range of physical systems.
Recent advancements in quantum techniques have enabled the design and fabrication of nonreciprocal optical devices that operate in the deep quantum regime, where quantum statistical properties play a crucial role. Following this trend, recent studies have focused on exploring the relationship between quantum correlations and nonreciprocity. Here, we sketch the latest theoretical and experimental advances in generating and manipulating nonreciprocal quantum correlations and the advantages of quantum nonreciprocity for applications in one-way quantum sensing. From a broader perspective, leveraging nonreciprocal quantum correlations by breaking reciprocal symmetry can provide a promising pathway for enhancing the performance of noise-tolerant quantum sensors.