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:2301.02834 · Physical Review A

n -photon blockade with an n -photon parametric drive

Y. H. Zhou, Fabrizio Minganti, Wei Qin, Qi‐Cheng Wu, Jun‐Long Zhao, Yu-Liang Fang, Franco Nori, Chui‐Ping Yang

Published Nov 22, 2021• 37 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We propose a mechanism to engineer an $n$-photon blockade in a nonlinear cavity with an $n$-photon parametric drive $\ensuremath{\lambda}({\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}n}+{\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}}^{n})$. When an $n$-photon-excitation resonance condition is satisfied, the presence of $n$ photons in the cavity suppresses the absorption of the subsequent photons. To confirm the validity of this proposal, we study the $n$-photon blockade in an atom-cavity system, a Kerr-nonlinear resonator, and two-coupled Kerr-nonlinear resonators. Our results demonstrate that $n$-photon bunching and $(n+1)$-photon antibunching can be simultaneously obtained in these systems. This effect is due both to the anharmonic energy ladder and to the nature of the $n$-photon drive. To show the importance of the drive, we compare the results of the $n$-photon drive with a coherent (one-photon) drive, proving the enhancement of antibunching in the parametric-drive case. This proposal is general and can be applied to realize the $n$-photon blockade in other nonlinear systems.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.104.053718

Related papers

Two-Photon Blockade in an Atom-Driven Cavity QED System

Christoph Hamsen, Karl Nicolas Tolazzi, Tatjana Wilk +1 more

Photon blockade is a dynamical quantum-nonlinear effect in driven systems with an anharmonic energy ladder. For a single atom strongly coupled to an optical cavity, we show that atom driving gives a decisively larger optical nonlinearity than cavity driving. This enhances single-photon blockade and allows for the implementation of two-photon blockade where the absorption of two photons suppresses the absorption of further photons. As a signature, we report on three-photon antibunching with simultaneous two-photon bunching observed in the light emitted from the cavity. Our experiment constitutes a significant step towards multiphoton quantum-nonlinear optics.

arXiv:1608.01571•Physical Review Letters•Mar 31, 2017•294 citations

Unconventional photon blockade in two coupled Kerr nonlinear cavities at resonance

Li-Yuan Xue, Yang Shao, Yan-Zhe Song +3 more

This study systematically investigates unconventional photon blockade in two coupled Kerr nonlinear cavities at resonance. By solving the master equation in the steady-state limit and calculating the equal-time second-order correlation function, the photon antibunching effect within the nonlinear regime is revealed. Through analytical derivations, four sets of optimal antibunching conditions are obtained and validated through numerical simulations, unveiling new characteristics of photon blockade. Furthermore, the influence of system parameters on photon blockade is discussed, providing valuable theoretical support for optimizing the design and implementation of single-photon sources.

International Journal of Quantum Information•Feb 19, 2026•0 citations

Robust Universal Photon Blockade in a Bimodal Jaynes-Cummings Model via Kerr Nonlinearity

Guohao Chang, Hunduz Halemjan, Shangyun Liu +2 more

Universal photon blockade in a two-mode Jaynes-Cummings model incorporating third-order Kerr nonlinearity is demonstrated with a single two-level atom coupled to a waveguide microcavity. Realization of this universal photon blockade is attributed to the cooperative effects of field-atom coupling and Kerr nonlinearity. More importantly, this antibunching is found to be robust against the atomic spontaneous emission, driving field strength, and defect-induced cavity mode coupling. The strong antibunching effect in this resonance-driven scheme is essentially different from those without Kerr nonlinearity. Moreover, this work expands the platform for achieving universal photon blockade and reveals the cooperative advantages of nonlinearities in enhancing the purity and brightness of single-photon sources, representing a novel strategy toward high-performance single-photon sources in integrated quantum optical devices.

quant-pharXiv:2604.03838•Physical Review A•Apr 7, 2026•0 citations

Photon blockade in an atom--cavity system

Xinyun Liang, Zhenglu Duan, Qin Guo +3 more

A two-level system interacting with a cavity field is an important model for investigating the photon blockade (PB) effect. Most work on this topic has been based on the assumption that the atomic transition frequency is resonant with the fundamental mode frequency of the cavity. We relax this constraint and reexamine PB in a more general atom--cavity system with arbitrary atomic and cavity detunings from a driving field. The results show that when the signs of the atomic and cavity detunings are the same, PB occurs only in the strong-coupling regime, but for opposite signs of the atomic and cavity detunings, strong photon antibunching is observed in both the weak- and strong-coupling regimes and a better PB effect is achieved compared with the case when the signs are the same. More interestingly, we find that this PB arises from quantum interference for both weak and strong nonlinearities. These results deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanism of PB and may be help in the construction of single-photon sources with higher purity and better flexibility using atom--cavity systems.

•Nov 16, 2018•1 citation

Exact optimal control of photon blockade with weakly nonlinear coupled cavities

H. Z. Shen, Y. H. Zhou, H. D. Liu +2 more

We propose a scheme of photon blockade in a system comprising of coupled cavities embedded in Kerr nonlinear material, where two cavities are driven and dissipated. We analytically derive the exact optimal conditions for strong photon antibunching, which are in good agreement with those obtained by numerical simulations. We find that conventional and unconventional photon blockades have controllable flexibilities by tuning the strength ratio and relative phase between two complex driving fields. Such unconventional photon-blockade effects are ascribed to the quantum interference effect to avoid two-photon excitation of the coupled cavities. We also discuss the statistical properties of the photons under given optimal conditions. Our results provide a promising platform for the coherent manipulation of photon blockade, which has potential applications for quantum information processing and quantum optical devices.

Optics Express•Dec 11, 2015•59 citations

Photon blockade effect from synergistic optical parametric amplification and driving force in Kerr-medium single-mode cavity

Zhang Zhiqiang

This work investigates photon blockade control in a hybrid quantum system containing a Kerr-nonlinear cavity coupled to an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The dynamics are governed by a master equation derived from an effective Hamiltonian that includes cavity decay. To obtain analytical solutions, the system's quantum state is expanded in the Fock basis up to the two-photon level. Solving the steady-state Schrodinger equation yields probability amplitudes and the analytical conditions for optimal photon blockade. Results confirm that photon blockade is achievable with suitable parameters. Excellent agreement is found between the analytical solutions and numerical simulations for the steady-state, equal-time second-order correlation function, validating both the analytical method and the blockade effect. Numerically, the average intracavity photon number increases significantly under resonance, providing a theoretical pathway for enhancing single-photon source brightness. Furthermore, the driving phase is shown to regulate the optimal blockade region: it shifts the parabolic region within the two-dimensional parameter space of driving strength and OPA nonlinearity and can even reverse its opening direction. The influence of Kerr nonlinearity is also examined. Photon blockade remains robust across a wide range of Kerr strengths. Physical analysis attributes the effect to destructive quantum interference between two distinct excitation pathways that suppress two-photon states. While Kerr nonlinearity shifts the system's energy levels, it does not disrupt this interference mechanism, explaining the effect's stability over a broad parameter range.

quant-pharXiv:2601.01819•Acta Physica Sinica•Jan 6, 2026•1 citation
We propose a mechanism to engineer an nnn-photon blockade in a nonlinear cavity with an nnn-photon parametric drive \ensuremathλ(a\ifmmode^\elseˆ\fi\ifmmode†\else\textdagger\fin+a\ifmmode^\elseˆ\fin)\ensuremath{\lambda}({\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}n}+{\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{a}}^{n})\ensuremathλ(a\ifmmode^\elseˆ\fi\ifmmode†\else\textdagger\fin+a\ifmmode^\elseˆ\fin). When an nnn-photon-excitation resonance condition is satisfied, the presence of nnn photons in the cavity suppresses the absorption of the subsequent photons. To confirm the validity of this proposal, we study the nnn-photon blockade in an atom-cavity system, a Kerr-nonlinear resonator, and two-coupled Kerr-nonlinear resonators. Our results demonstrate that nnn-photon bunching and (n+1)(n+1)(n+1)-photon antibunching can be simultaneously obtained in these systems. This effect is due both to the anharmonic energy ladder and to the nature of the nnn-photon drive. To show the importance of the drive, we compare the results of the nnn-photon drive with a coherent (one-photon) drive, proving the enhancement of antibunching in the parametric-drive case. This proposal is general and can be applied to realize the nnn-photon blockade in other nonlinear systems.
Photon blockade is a dynamical quantum-nonlinear effect in driven systems with an anharmonic energy ladder. For a single atom strongly coupled to an optical cavity, we show that atom driving gives a decisively larger optical nonlinearity than cavity driving. This enhances single-photon blockade and allows for the implementation of two-photon blockade where the absorption of two photons suppresses the absorption of further photons. As a signature, we report on three-photon antibunching with simultaneous two-photon bunching observed in the light emitted from the cavity. Our experiment constitutes a significant step towards multiphoton quantum-nonlinear optics.
This study systematically investigates unconventional photon blockade in two coupled Kerr nonlinear cavities at resonance. By solving the master equation in the steady-state limit and calculating the equal-time second-order correlation function, the photon antibunching effect within the nonlinear regime is revealed. Through analytical derivations, four sets of optimal antibunching conditions are obtained and validated through numerical simulations, unveiling new characteristics of photon blockade. Furthermore, the influence of system parameters on photon blockade is discussed, providing valuable theoretical support for optimizing the design and implementation of single-photon sources.
Universal photon blockade in a two-mode Jaynes-Cummings model incorporating third-order Kerr nonlinearity is demonstrated with a single two-level atom coupled to a waveguide microcavity. Realization of this universal photon blockade is attributed to the cooperative effects of field-atom coupling and Kerr nonlinearity. More importantly, this antibunching is found to be robust against the atomic spontaneous emission, driving field strength, and defect-induced cavity mode coupling. The strong antibunching effect in this resonance-driven scheme is essentially different from those without Kerr nonlinearity. Moreover, this work expands the platform for achieving universal photon blockade and reveals the cooperative advantages of nonlinearities in enhancing the purity and brightness of single-photon sources, representing a novel strategy toward high-performance single-photon sources in integrated quantum optical devices.
A two-level system interacting with a cavity field is an important model for investigating the photon blockade (PB) effect. Most work on this topic has been based on the assumption that the atomic transition frequency is resonant with the fundamental mode frequency of the cavity. We relax this constraint and reexamine PB in a more general atom--cavity system with arbitrary atomic and cavity detunings from a driving field. The results show that when the signs of the atomic and cavity detunings are the same, PB occurs only in the strong-coupling regime, but for opposite signs of the atomic and cavity detunings, strong photon antibunching is observed in both the weak- and strong-coupling regimes and a better PB effect is achieved compared with the case when the signs are the same. More interestingly, we find that this PB arises from quantum interference for both weak and strong nonlinearities. These results deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanism of PB and may be help in the construction of single-photon sources with higher purity and better flexibility using atom--cavity systems.
We propose a scheme of photon blockade in a system comprising of coupled cavities embedded in Kerr nonlinear material, where two cavities are driven and dissipated. We analytically derive the exact optimal conditions for strong photon antibunching, which are in good agreement with those obtained by numerical simulations. We find that conventional and unconventional photon blockades have controllable flexibilities by tuning the strength ratio and relative phase between two complex driving fields. Such unconventional photon-blockade effects are ascribed to the quantum interference effect to avoid two-photon excitation of the coupled cavities. We also discuss the statistical properties of the photons under given optimal conditions. Our results provide a promising platform for the coherent manipulation of photon blockade, which has potential applications for quantum information processing and quantum optical devices.
This work investigates photon blockade control in a hybrid quantum system containing a Kerr-nonlinear cavity coupled to an optical parametric amplifier (OPA). The dynamics are governed by a master equation derived from an effective Hamiltonian that includes cavity decay. To obtain analytical solutions, the system's quantum state is expanded in the Fock basis up to the two-photon level. Solving the steady-state Schrodinger equation yields probability amplitudes and the analytical conditions for optimal photon blockade. Results confirm that photon blockade is achievable with suitable parameters. Excellent agreement is found between the analytical solutions and numerical simulations for the steady-state, equal-time second-order correlation function, validating both the analytical method and the blockade effect. Numerically, the average intracavity photon number increases significantly under resonance, providing a theoretical pathway for enhancing single-photon source brightness. Furthermore, the driving phase is shown to regulate the optimal blockade region: it shifts the parabolic region within the two-dimensional parameter space of driving strength and OPA nonlinearity and can even reverse its opening direction. The influence of Kerr nonlinearity is also examined. Photon blockade remains robust across a wide range of Kerr strengths. Physical analysis attributes the effect to destructive quantum interference between two distinct excitation pathways that suppress two-photon states. While Kerr nonlinearity shifts the system's energy levels, it does not disrupt this interference mechanism, explaining the effect's stability over a broad parameter range.