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arXiv:1505.05542 · Optics Letters

Non-Markovianity induced by a single-photon wave packet in a one-dimensional waveguide

D. Valente, M. F. Z. Arruda, T. Werlang

Published Jun 30, 2016• 16 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The concept of non-Markovianity (NM) in quantum dynamics is still an open debate. Understanding how to generate and measure NM in specific models may aid in this quest. In quantum optics, an engineered electromagnetic environment coupled to a single atom can induce NM. The most common scenario of structured electromagnetic environment is an optical cavity, composed by a pair of mirrors. Here, we show how to generate and measure NM on a two-level system coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide with no mirrors required. The origin of the non-Markovian behavior lies in the initial state of the field, prepared as a single-photon packet. NM is shown to depend on two experimentally controllable parameters, namely, the linewidth of the packet and its central frequency. We relate the presence of NM to quantum interference. We also show how the two output channels of the waveguide provide distinct signatures of NM, both experimentally accessible.

DOI
10.1364/ol.41.003126

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The concept of non-Markovianity (NM) in quantum dynamics is still an open debate. Understanding how to generate and measure NM in specific models may aid in this quest. In quantum optics, an engineered electromagnetic environment coupled to a single atom can induce NM. The most common scenario of structured electromagnetic environment is an optical cavity, composed by a pair of mirrors. Here, we show how to generate and measure NM on a two-level system coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide with no mirrors required. The origin of the non-Markovian behavior lies in the initial state of the field, prepared as a single-photon packet. NM is shown to depend on two experimentally controllable parameters, namely, the linewidth of the packet and its central frequency. We relate the presence of NM to quantum interference. We also show how the two output channels of the waveguide provide distinct signatures of NM, both experimentally accessible.
We consider a quantum emitter (``atom'') radiating in a one-dimensional photonic waveguide in the presence of a single mirror, resulting in a delay differential equation for the atomic amplitude. We carry out a systematic analysis of the non-Markovian (NM) character of the atomic dynamics in terms of refined, recently developed notions of quantum non-Markovianity such as indivisibility and information backflow. NM effects are quantified as a function of the round-trip time and phase shift associated with the atom-mirror optical path. We find, in particular, that unless an atom-photon bound state is formed a finite time delay is always required in order for NM effects to be exhibited. This identifies a finite threshold in the parameter space, which separates the Markovian and non-Markovian regimes.
In this work, we investigate the non-Markovian (NM) dynamical evolution of a three-level atom coupled to a semi-infinite one-dimensional photonic waveguide and driven by a classical driving field. The single-end of waveguide behaves as a perfect mirror while light can pass through the opposite end with no backreflection. We derive the exact analytical expressions for the wave function of the driven three-level atom by solving a set of delay differential equations and give the conditions of atom-photon bound state formation that can inhibit the dissipation, which appears in the atom-mirror interspace in order to trap a considerable amount of initial atomic excitation. We show that when the evolution time of the system is shorter than the time delay taken by a photon to perform a round trip between the atom and mirror, the atomic dynamics exhibits Markovian properties, which depend on the driving strength and rescaled parameters. If the evolution time of the system exceeds the time delay, the photon can be reabsorbed by the atom with the photon emitted by the atom having completed the round trip, which exhibits NM memory effects, where the population eventually convergences to the finite-steady values. We also study the influence of the loss and dephasing on the formation of a bound state. Finally, the above results are extended to a more general quantum system involving single-end photonic waveguide coupled to an arbitrary number of noninteracting three-level atoms driven by the driving fields. The presented formalism might open a way to better understand exactly the NM dynamics of driven multilevel atoms coupled to a semi-infinite waveguide.
We investigate the non-Markovianity (NM) of a waveguide QED with a two-level atom as the system and a semi-infinite rectangular waveguide as the environment, where the transverse magnetic (TM mn ) modes define the quantum channels of guided photons. The perfect mirror imposed by the finite end exerts a retarded feedback mechanism to allow for information backflow, which leads to NM dynamics. For the energy separation of the atom far away from the cutoff frequencies of transverse modes, the delay differential equations are obtained with single-excitation initial in the atom. Our attention is focused on the effects of multiple quantum channels involved in guiding photons on the degree of non-Markovian behavior. An asymptotic value of the non-Markovianity N 1 can be found as the atom–mirror distance is large enough, however, the asymptotic value of N 2 of the atom interacting with the effective double-modes is lower than that of the atom interacting with the effective single-mode. We also show that N 1 is a constant, and the analytical expression for N 2 is related to the parameters associated with the modes, which is related to the interference of the two modes.
In this paper we show how to generate multiple single-photon wave packets of arbitrary temporal shape from an optical cavity coupled with NNN three-level atoms driven by a driving field in the non-Markovian regime. We derive an exact analytical expression of the optimal driving field to generate such wave packets, which depends on two detunings of the cavity and driving field with respect to the three-level atoms. The cavity we use consists of two mirrors facing each other, where one is perfect and the other includes dissipation (a one-sided cavity), which couples with the corresponding non-Markovian input-output fields. If the first single-photon wave packet generated by the Markovian system is the same as the non-Markovian case, the Markovian system cannot generate the same multiple single-photon wave packets as the non-Markovian system when the spectral widths of the other environments take values different from the spectral width of the first environment, while setting the equal spectral widths for the different environments can generate this. The generated multiple different single-photon wave packets are not independent of each other, which satisfies certain relations with non-Markovian spectral parameters. We analyze the transition from Markovian to non-Markovian regimes and compare the differences between them, where the cavity interacts simultaneously with the multiple non-Markovian environments. Finally, we extend the above results to a general non-Markovian quantum network involving many cavities coupled with driven three-level atoms.
Non-Markovian dynamics with ΛΛΛ-type atomic systems in a single end photonic waveguide
In this work, we investigate the non-Markovian dynamical evolution of a ΛΛΛ-type atom interacting with a semi-infinite one-dimensional photonic waveguide via two atomic transitions. The waveguide terminates at a perfect mirror, which reflects the light and introduces boundary effects. We derive exact analytical expressions and show that, under suitable conditions, the instantaneous and retarded decay rates reach equilibrium, leading to the formation of an atom-photon bound state that suppresses dissipation. Consequently, the atom retains a long-lived population in the asymptotic time limit. Furthermore, we analyze the output field intensity and demonstrate that blocking one of the coupling channels forces the atomic system to emit photons of a single frequency. Finally, we extend the model to a two-atom system and examine the disentanglement dynamics of the two spatially separated atoms. These findings elucidate the dynamic process of spontaneous emission involving multi-frequency photons from multi-level atoms and provide insights into the complex interference between different decay pathways.
We show that an open quantum system in a non-Markovian environment can reach steady states that it cannot reach in a Markovian environment. As these steady states are unique for the non-Markovian regime, they could offer a simple way of detecting non-Markovianity, as no information about the system's transient dynamics is necessary. In particular, we study a driven two-level system (TLS) in a semi-infinite waveguide. Once the waveguide has been traced out, the TLS sees an environment with a distinct memory time. The memory time enters the equations as a time delay that can be varied to compare a Markovian to a non-Markovian environment. We find that some non-Markovian states show exotic behaviors such as population inversion and steady-state coherence beyond 1/8, neither of which is possible for a driven TLS in the Markovian regime, where the time delay is neglected. Additionally, we show how the coherence of quantum interference is affected by time delays in a driven system by extracting the effective Purcell-modified decay rate of a TLS in front of a mirror.