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arXiv:2111.06764 · npj Quantum Information

Bound state in a giant atom-modulated resonators system

Han Xiao, Luojia Wang, Zheng-Hong Li, Xianfeng Chen, Luqi Yuan

Published Jul 7, 2022• 73 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract It is of fundamental interest in controlling the light–matter interaction for a long time in the field of quantum information processing. Here, we explore a model by coupling a giant atom with the dynamically-modulated coupled-resonator waveguide and find the bound state, where the light shows the localization effect and the atomic decay into resonator modes is inhibited, excited by a propagating photon. An analytical treatment based on the separation of the propagating states and localized states of light has been proposed and provides inspiring explanation of our finding, i.e., there supports a quantum channel where the propagating photon can be converted to the localized state through the quantum interference from light–atom interactions in three resonators at different frequency detunings. Our work therefore shows the potential for actively localizing the photon in a modulated coupled-resonator waveguide system interacting with the giant atom, and also points out a way to study the light–atom interaction in a synthetic frequency dimension that holds the similar Hamiltonian.

DOI
10.1038/s41534-022-00591-7

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Abstract It is of fundamental interest in controlling the light–matter interaction for a long time in the field of quantum information processing. Here, we explore a model by coupling a giant atom with the dynamically-modulated coupled-resonator waveguide and find the bound state, where the light shows the localization effect and the atomic decay into resonator modes is inhibited, excited by a propagating photon. An analytical treatment based on the separation of the propagating states and localized states of light has been proposed and provides inspiring explanation of our finding, i.e., there supports a quantum channel where the propagating photon can be converted to the localized state through the quantum interference from light–atom interactions in three resonators at different frequency detunings. Our work therefore shows the potential for actively localizing the photon in a modulated coupled-resonator waveguide system interacting with the giant atom, and also points out a way to study the light–atom interaction in a synthetic frequency dimension that holds the similar Hamiltonian.
Giant atoms, which couple to a waveguide through multiple spatially separated connection points beyond the dipole approximation, provide a versatile route for quantum information processing based on interference-induced bound states in the continuum (BICs). While multi-giant-atom architectures are being developed toward giant-atom quantum networks, the role of direct coupling between the giant atoms, in particular the associated coupling phase, in atomic dynamics remains insufficiently understood. Here we take a first step toward addressing this issue by studying a two-giant-atom waveguide-QED model. We show that the coupling phase can be used to control both the number of BICs and their profiles for both of photon and atoms. More interestingly, the presence of BICs gives rise to a variety of dynamical behaviors, providing an effective mechanism for tailoring quantum-state evolution in giant-atom waveguide-QED systems. Our results highlight coupling-phase engineering as a useful tool for controlling interference, bound states, and quantum dynamics in nonlocal light--matter interfaces.
We study the bound states in the continuum (BIC) in a system of two identical two-level giant atoms coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide. By deriving general dark-state conditions, we clarify how coupling configurations and atomic parameters influence decay suppression. Through analysis of the long-time dynamical behaviors of atoms and bound photons, we carry out a detailed classification of bound states and explore the connections between these dynamical behaviors and the system's intrinsic light-matter interactions. The system supports static bound states with persistent atomic excitations, and oscillating bound states with periodic atom-photon or atom-atom excitation exchange. Under certain conditions, oscillating bound states can contain more harmonic components owing to the emergence of additional quasi-dark modes, rendering them promising platforms for high-capacity quantum information processing. These findings advance the understanding of BIC in waveguide quantum electrodynamics with multiple giant atoms and reveal their prospective applications in quantum technologies.
Describing systems of superconducting atoms coupled to a continuum of photonic modes at multiple separated locations in a waveguide, waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) with giant atoms has emerged as a promising platform for realizing quantum interconnect. Such systems have been reported to exhibit rich phenomena that differ from those of natural atoms. Going beyond the widely used Born-Markov and Wigner-Weisskopf approximations, we investigate the non-Markovian dynamics of one and two giant atoms interacting with a waveguide formed by an array of coupled resonators. We discover that the diverse dynamical behaviors of the giant atoms are intrinsically determined by the energy spectrum of the composite system consisting of the giant atoms and the photonic modes in the waveguide. As long as one and more bound states are present in the energy spectrum, their excited-state probabilities, respectively, tend to stable finite values and lossless Rabi-like oscillations with frequencies proportional to the differences of the bound-state eigenenergies. Our result provides an insightful guideline for suppressing the decoherence of giant atoms and facilitates the development of quantum interconnect devices using giant-atom waveguide QED.
Quantum optics with giant emitters has shown a new route for the observation and manipulation of non-Markovian properties in waveguide QED. In this paper we extend the theory of giant atoms, hitherto restricted to the perturbative light-matter regime, to deal with the ultrastrong-coupling regime. Using static and dynamical polaron methods, we address the low-energy subspace of a giant atom coupled to an Ohmic waveguide beyond the standard rotating-wave approximation. We analyze the equilibrium properties of the system by computing the atomic frequency renormalization as a function of the coupling characterizing the localization-delocalization quantum phase transition for a giant atom. We show that virtual photons dressing the ground state are nonexponentially localized around the contact points but decay as a power law. The dynamics of an initially excited giant atom is studied, pointing out the effects of ultrastrong coupling on the Lamb shift and the spontaneous emission decay rate. Finally, we comment on the existence of the so-called oscillating bound states beyond the rotating-wave approximation.
The giant atom paradigm, where a single quantum emitter couples to a continuum at multiple discrete points, has enabled unprecedented control over light-matter interactions, including decoherence-free subspaces and chiral emission. However, realizing these non-local effects beyond the microwave regime remains a significant challenge due to the diffraction limit. Here, we theoretically propose a photonic analog of giant atoms operating at optical frequencies, utilizing a quantum emitter resonantly coupled to a pair of spatially separated single-mode cavities interacting with a common 1D photonic continuum. By rigorously deriving the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and integrating out the bath degrees of freedom, we demonstrate that the interference between cavity-mediated emission pathways leads to the formation of robust Bound States in the Continuum (BICs). These interference-induced dark states allow for the infinite trapping of excitation within the emitter-cavity subsystem, effectively shielding it from radiative decay. Our results extend the giant atom toolbox to the optical domain, offering a scalable architecture for integrated quantum photonics and quantum interconnects.