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arXiv:2007.02071 · Physical Review Letters

Waveguide Quantum Optomechanics: Parity-Time Phase Transitions in Ultrastrong Coupling Regime

Ivan V. Iorsh, A. V. Poshakinskiy, Alexander N. Poddubny

Published Oct 27, 2020• 23 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We develop a rigorous theoretical framework for interaction-induced phenomena in the waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) driven by mechanical oscillations of the qubits. Specifically, we predict that the simplest setup of two qubits, harmonically trapped over an optical waveguide, enables the ultrastrong coupling regime of the quantum optomechanical interaction. Moreover, the combination of the inherent open nature of the system and the strong optomechanical coupling leads to emerging parity-time (PT) symmetry, quite unexpected for a purely quantum system without artificially engineered gain and loss. The PT phase transition drives long-living subradiant states, observable in the state-of-the-art waveguide QED setups.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.125.183601

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We develop a rigorous theoretical framework for interaction-induced phenomena in the waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) driven by mechanical oscillations of the qubits. Specifically, we predict that the simplest setup of two qubits, harmonically trapped over an optical waveguide, enables the ultrastrong coupling regime of the quantum optomechanical interaction. Moreover, the combination of the inherent open nature of the system and the strong optomechanical coupling leads to emerging parity-time (PT) symmetry, quite unexpected for a purely quantum system without artificially engineered gain and loss. The PT phase transition drives long-living subradiant states, observable in the state-of-the-art waveguide QED setups.
We present a direct mapping between the quantum optomechanical problem of the atoms harmonically trapped in the vicinity of a chiral waveguide and a generalized quantum Rabi model, and we discuss the analogy between the self-organization of atomic chains in photonic structures and Dicke-like quantum phase transitions in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We extend the class of the superradiant phase transitions for the systems possessing Z_{3} rather than parity Z_{2} symmetry and demonstrate the emergence of the multicomponent Schrödinger-cat ground states in these systems.
We study theoretically two vibrating quantum emitters trapped near a one-dimensional waveguide and interacting with propagating photons. We demonstrate that in the regime of strong optomechanical interaction the coupling of light to multiple emitter vibrations can lead to the formation of spatially localized multiphonon modes, exhibiting parity-time (PT)(\mathcal{PT})(PT) symmetry breaking. These localized multiphonon states have been interpreted by analyzing the energy spectrum in the quasiclassical approximation.
We describe how ultrastrong interactions in optomechanical systems can be used to force the system ground state to evolve into an arbitrary quantum state of mechanical motion in a completely controlled and deterministic manner. If the target quantum state is a superposition of NNN Fock states, it can be obtained by applying in single-step NNN classical optical signals of different frequencies for a common time interval. This protocol can be applied to various strongly interacting quantum systems as trapped ions beyond the Lamb-Dicke regime and cavity QED into the ultrastrong coupling regime.
We study theoretically an array of two-level qubits moving relative to a one-dimensional waveguide. This motion can be implemented mechanically or simulated via the modulation of the couplings between the qubits and the waveguide. When the frequency of this motion approaches twice the qubit resonance frequency, it induces parametric generation of photons and excitation of the qubits. The proposed quantum optomechanical system offers a plethora of possibilities for exploring various quantum electrodynamics phenomena. However, their theoretical analysis is challenging due to the presence of quantum nonlinearity, a continuum of propagating photonic modes, and the excitation of strongly nonequilibrium qubit states, which make many conventional analytical tools inapplicable. To address these challenges, we develop a comprehensive general theoretical framework that incorporates both perturbative diagrammatic techniques and a rigorous master-equation approach. Our calculations reveal several intriguing effects, including the directional dynamical Casimir effect, where momenta of emitted photon pairs are correlated, and the waveguide-mediated collective Unruh effect, where motion drives the qubits to a nontrivial steady state that can be entangled and exhibit phase transitions. Additionally, we examine the radiation back-action on the qubit motion, which becomes particularly pronounced when subradiant modes in the qubit array are excited. The back-action can significantly alter the mechanical spectra, potentially leading to the formation of hybrid phonon-biphoton modes.
Waveguide quantum electrodynamics (waveguide QED) describes the interaction between an electromagnetic field confined to a one-dimensional waveguide with atom-like quantum emitters close by. The characteristics of these kinds of systems are the possibility for strong and even ultrastrong interactions between the photonic and atom-like systems, and practically infinite range interactions between the emitters. These properties are valuable for a wide range of quantum optical applications, like quantum communication, quantum networks and quantum metrology. In this thesis we focus on two challenges in quantum optics, namely the generation and scattering of multiphoton states. In the first part of this thesis we demonstrate how waveguide QED systems can be exploited for the generation of multiphoton states, in particular of single-mode Fock states and superpositions thereof as well as multi-mode photonic states with metrological applications. The basic setup for this goal is an ensemble of quantum emitters coupled to a waveguide. In the so-called atomic mirror configuration symmetric Dicke states (or a superposition thereof) decay superradiantly to the ground state and emit the desired multiphoton state, which can be efficiently collected at the ends of the waveguide. We propose various protocols for the preparation of these Dicke states in waveguide QED systems and characterize the emitted photonic state. It turns out that in the low excitation regime, that is, if the number of photons is much lower than the ensemble size, the photonic state is emitted into a single mode. This single-mode structure is fundamental to current proposals for applications in quantum metrology with optical interferometers. Outside the low excitation regime, a multi-mode photonic state is generated, for which the metrological capabilities were unknown. We were able to show that these states still lead to quantum-enhanced optical interferometry. In the second part of this thesis we demonstrate how the scattering of multiphoton states on a single quantum emitter coupled to the waveguide can be used for testing the limits of the light-matter interaction strength. In particular, we investigate systems in the so-called ultrastrong coupling regime, where the coupling strength between the photonic and atom-like system is of the order of the emitter's transition energy. In this regime, many methods and approximations used in quantum optics, especially the Rotating Wave Approximation, break down and one needs to develop new analytical and numerical methods to study these systems. One approach is the so-called polaron Transformation. We show how this transformation can be applied for predicting the scattering amplitude of few photons scattering on the emitter. The comparison of these results with numerical simulations using matrix product states shows a good agreement for moderate coupling strengths. Both parts together show that waveguide QED systems are promising candidates for the generation of multiphoton states as well as for the investigation of fundamental limits probed through the scattering of multiphoton states. The latter also finds application in the implementation of photon-photon nonlinearities induced by the interaction with the quantum emitters. Apart from these and many other theoretical predictions, waveguide QED systems are also undergoing rapid progress in experiments. Therefore, we expect these kinds of systems to bring forth several advances in the field of quantum optics.
The observation of single-photon optomechanical effects is a desired task in cavity optomechanics. However, the realization of ultrastrong optomechanical interaction remains a big challenge. Here we present an all-optical scheme to simulate ultrastrong optomechanical coupling based on a Fredkin-type interaction, which consists of two exchange-coupled modes with the coupling strength depending on the photon number in another controller mode. This coupling enhancement is assisted by the displacement amplification according to the physical idea of the Bogoliubov approximation, which is realized by utilizing a strong driving to pump one of the two exchanging modes. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that the enhanced optomechanical coupling can enter the single-photon strong-coupling and even ultrastrong-coupling regimes. We also show the creation of macroscopic quantum superposed states and the implementation of a weak-to-strong transition for quantum measurement in this system. This work will pave the way to quantum simulation of single-photon optomechanical effects with current experimental platforms.