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arXiv:1602.03261 · Physical Review Letters

Coherence-Driven Topological Transition in Quantum Metamaterials

Pankaj Kumar Jha, Michael Mrejen, Jeongmin Kim, Chihhui Wu, Yuan Wang, Yuri V. Rostovtsev, Xiang Zhang

Published Apr 22, 2016• 35 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce and theoretically demonstrate a quantum metamaterial made of dense ultracold neutral atoms loaded into an inherently defect-free artificial crystal of light, immune to well-known critical challenges inevitable in conventional solid-state platforms. We demonstrate an all-optical control, on ultrafast time scales, over the photonic topological transition of the isofrequency contour from an open to closed topology at the same frequency. This atomic lattice quantum metamaterial enables a dynamic manipulation of the decay rate branching ratio of a probe quantum emitter by more than an order of magnitude. Our proposal may lead to practically lossless, tunable, and topologically reconfigurable quantum metamaterials, for single or few-photon-level applications as varied as quantum sensing, quantum information processing, and quantum simulations using metamaterials.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.116.165502

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We introduce and theoretically demonstrate a quantum metamaterial made of dense ultracold neutral atoms loaded into an inherently defect-free artificial crystal of light, immune to well-known critical challenges inevitable in conventional solid-state platforms. We demonstrate an all-optical control, on ultrafast time scales, over the photonic topological transition of the isofrequency contour from an open to closed topology at the same frequency. This atomic lattice quantum metamaterial enables a dynamic manipulation of the decay rate branching ratio of a probe quantum emitter by more than an order of magnitude. Our proposal may lead to practically lossless, tunable, and topologically reconfigurable quantum metamaterials, for single or few-photon-level applications as varied as quantum sensing, quantum information processing, and quantum simulations using metamaterials.
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The deterministic control of light-matter interactions at the level of single particles and on subwavelength scales is central to quantum optics and hybrid integrated quantum technologies. However, combining cold atom research with nanophotonic devices in a fully controllable platform remains a major experimental challenge. Here, we demonstrate the deterministic coupling of an ultracold atomic lattice to light propagating in suspended on-chip photonic circuits. These capabilities open avenues to address scalability challenges in neutral-atom quantum computers and simulators, enabling fast optical readout, efficient and subwavelength non-diffracting interaction zones, and genuine compatibility with integrated solid-state photon sources, detectors, and stop-band modulators. Beyond controllable quantum matter, the platform also enables in-situ imaging of evanescent fields of light and nanoscale structures, including prospects for three-dimensional scanning microscopy with non-invasive single-atom probes for quantum sensing applications.