Abstract The future of quantum information processing hinges on chip-scale nanophotonics, specifically cavity QED and waveguide QED. One of the foremost processes underpinning quantum photonic technologies is the phenomenon of Rabi oscillations, which manifests when a qubit is irradiated by an intense laser source. Departing from the conventional semiclassical framework, we explore the more general, quantum theoretical case where the optical excitation takes the form of a multiphoton Fock state, and the qubit couples to a continuum of radiation modes. By employing the real-space formalism, we analytically explore the scattering dynamics of the photonic Fock state as it interfaces with a two-level emitter. The resulting amplitude for atomic excitation features a linear superposition of various independent scattering events that are triggered by the potential of sequential, time-delayed photon absorptions and emissions. The lowest-order excitation event, initiated by the stochastic scattering of one of the several photons, appropriately characterizes the dynamics in a weak-field environment. This event is complemented by a multitude of higher-order scattering events ensuing from repeated atom–photon interactions. The temporal evolution of the qubit excitation in our configuration closely mirrors the semiclassical predictions, particularly in the strong-pumping limit where Rabi oscillations unfold. Notably, this compatibility with the semiclassical paradigm transcends beyond the strong-excitation regime and applies both to the weak-driving and large-detuning limits. In a nutshell, our analysis extends the existing results on quantum Rabi oscillations pertinent to single-mode cavity QED, to the multimode, waveguide-QED configurations wherein flying photons are the information carriers. Additionally, we delve into the dynamics of pulsed wave packets, shedding light on the potential to substantially enhance excitation efficiency, even in scenarios involving just a few photons. Beyond their theoretical merit, these findings should hold practical relevance for future Fock-state-based quantum computing and emerging waveguide-integrated photonic technologies such as those involving superconducting circuitry.
Abstract The future of quantum information processing hinges on chip-scale nanophotonics, specifically cavity QED and waveguide QED. One of the foremost processes underpinning quantum photonic technologies is the phenomenon of Rabi oscillations, which manifests when a qubit is irradiated by an intense laser source. Departing from the conventional semiclassical framework, we explore the more general, quantum theoretical case where the optical excitation takes the form of a multiphoton Fock state, and the qubit couples to a continuum of radiation modes. By employing the real-space formalism, we analytically explore the scattering dynamics of the photonic Fock state as it interfaces with a two-level emitter. The resulting amplitude for atomic excitation features a linear superposition of various independent scattering events that are triggered by the potential of sequential, time-delayed photon absorptions and emissions. The lowest-order excitation event, initiated by the stochastic scattering of one of the several photons, appropriately characterizes the dynamics in a weak-field environment. This event is complemented by a multitude of higher-order scattering events ensuing from repeated atom–photon interactions. The temporal evolution of the qubit excitation in our configuration closely mirrors the semiclassical predictions, particularly in the strong-pumping limit where Rabi oscillations unfold. Notably, this compatibility with the semiclassical paradigm transcends beyond the strong-excitation regime and applies both to the weak-driving and large-detuning limits. In a nutshell, our analysis extends the existing results on quantum Rabi oscillations pertinent to single-mode cavity QED, to the multimode, waveguide-QED configurations wherein flying photons are the information carriers. Additionally, we delve into the dynamics of pulsed wave packets, shedding light on the potential to substantially enhance excitation efficiency, even in scenarios involving just a few photons. Beyond their theoretical merit, these findings should hold practical relevance for future Fock-state-based quantum computing and emerging waveguide-integrated photonic technologies such as those involving superconducting circuitry.
We theoretically investigate quantum Rabi oscillations in a system consisting of a two-level atom (qubit) strongly coupled to a one-dimensional open waveguide. In contrast to conventional cavity quantum electrodynamics, the qubit interacts with a continuum of propagating modes, which gives rise to fundamentally different dynamical behavior. Within the rotating-wave approximation, we express the multimode Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian in terms of collective bosonic operators and show that the system possesses two integrals of motion, enabling an exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian in the single-excitation subspace. We show that for a strongly interacting qubit-photon system, the dynamics are captured by a reduced two-level model. In this framework, each level is defined as the product of the atomic excited state and a specific field mode, which takes the form of a multiphoton Fock-like state. In this picture, the Rabi oscillations represent a collective phenomenon corresponding to oscillations between multiphoton states differing by a single photon. We then extend our analysis to multiphoton processes in which the initial field is a coherent state with a continuous spectrum. In this case, the Rabi frequency is shown to be sensitive to the spectral profile of the function that generates the coherent state.
When an atom is strongly coupled to a cavity, the two systems can exchange a single photon through a coherent Rabi oscillation. This process enables precise quantum-state engineering and manipulation of atoms and photons in a cavity, which play a central role in quantum information and measurement. Recently, a new regime of cavity QED was reached experimentally where the strength of the interaction between light and artificial atoms (qubits) becomes comparable to the atomic transition frequency or the resonance frequency of the cavity mode. Here we show that this regime can strongly modify the concept of vacuum Rabi oscillations, enabling multiphoton exchanges between the qubit and the resonator. We find that experimental state-of-the-art circuit-QED systems can undergo two- and three-photon vacuum Rabi oscillations. These anomalous Rabi oscillations can be exploited for the realization of efficient Fock-state sources of light and complex entangled states of qubits.
We present a quantum dynamical study of pulsed few-photon scattering from a single artificial atom, consisting of a two-level system (TLS) or qubit, in a waveguide QED system, directly comparing and contrasting two different quantum theoretical simulation methods: (i) an input-output scattering approach that uses frequency-dependent scattering matrices, and (ii) a matrix product states (MPS) approach, which uses quantum noise operators in time bins and a tensor network technique to solve the time-dependent waveguide function for the entire system. Beginning with pulsed excitation using one-photon and two-photon Fock state pulses, we first show how to compute time-dependent observables with the scattering matrix approach, in terms of frequency integrals that encode the pulse spectrum, including how to extract the population dynamics of the excited quantum emitter, as well as the linear and nonlinear contributions. We present solutions for both symmetric and chiral TLS coupling. We then show how to compute the qubit and field observables in a more direct way using MPS, and obtain the characteristic bird-like shape for the two-photon correlation function at two times, which has been observed in recent experiments. We compare and contrast both of these methods, for one and two-photon excitation pulses, and show excellent agreement. We also present a study of the linear and nonlinear contributions, which can easily be calculated using scattering theory, and show the important role of pulse duration. Finally, we demonstrate the clear advantages of MPS by easily going to higher N-photon excitations, and show selected example population dynamics of up to eight-photon Fock-state pulses, manifesting in clear nonlinear population oscillations during the pulse interaction, similar to classical Rabi oscillations, but with quantum input fields that have a vanishing electric field expectation value.
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.
Strong coupling between light and matter has been demonstrated both in classical cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems and in more recent circuit-QED experiments. This enables the generation of strong nonlinear photon-photon interactions at the single-photon level, which is of great interest for the observation of quantum nonlinear optical phenomena, the control of light quanta in quantum information protocols such as quantum networking, as well as the study of strongly correlated quantum many-body systems using light. Recently, strong coupling has also been realized in a variety of one-dimensional (1D) waveguide- QED experimental systems, which in turn makes them promising candidates for quantum information processing. Compared to cavity-QED systems, there are two new features in waveguide-QED: the existence of a continuum of states and the restricted 1D phase space, which together bring in new physical effects, such as the bound-state effects. This thesis consists of two parts: 1) understanding the fundamental interaction between local quantum objects, such as two-level systems and four-level systems, and photons confined in the waveguide; 2) exploring its implications in quantum information processing, in particular photonic quantum computation and quantum key distribution. First, we demonstrate that by coupling a two-level system (TLS) or three/fourlevel system to a 1D continuum, strongly-correlated photons can be generated inside the waveguide. Photon-photon bound states, which decay exponentially as a function of the relative coordinates of photons, appear in multiphoton scattering processes. As a result, photon bunching and antibunching can be observed in the photon-photon correlation function, and nonclassical light source can be generated on demand. In the case of an N-type four-level system, we show that the effective photon-photon interaction mediated by the four-level system, gives rise to a variety of nonlinear optical phenomena, including photon blockade, photon-induced tunneling, and creation of single-photon states and photon pairs with a high degree of spectral entanglement, all in the absence of a cavity. However, to enable greater quantum networking potential using waveguide- QED, it is important to study systems having more than just one TLS/qubit. We develop a numerical Green function method to study cooperative effects in a system of two qubits coupled to a 1D waveguide. Quantum beats emerge in photon-photon correlations, and persist to much longer time scales because of non-Markovian processes. In addition, this system can be used to generate a high-degree of long-distance entanglement when one of the two qubits is driven by an on-resonance laser, further paving the way toward waveguide-QED-based quantum networks. Furthermore, based on our study of light-matter interactions in waveguide- QED, we investigate its implications in quantum information processing. First, we study quantum key distribution using the sub-Possonian single photon source obtained by scattering a coherent state off a two-level system. The rate for key generation is found to be twice as large as for other sources. Second, we propose a new scheme for scalable quantum computation using flying qubits--propagating photons in a one-dimensional waveguide--interacting with matter qubits. Photonphoton interactions are mediated by the coupling to a three- or four-level system, based on which photon-photon -phase gates (Controlled-NOT) can be implemented for universal quantum computation. We show that high gate fidelity is possible given recent dramatic experimental progress in superconducting circuits and photonic-crystal waveguides. The proposed system can be an important building block for future on-chip quantum networks.
We present a detailed quantum theory and simulations of few-photon Fock state pulses interacting with a two-level system (TLS) in an open waveguide-QED system. For a rectangular pulse shape, we present an exact temporal scattering theory to derive analytical expressions for the TLS population, using one-photon and two-photon pulses, for both chiral and symmetric emitters. We also derive the stationary (long-time) and time-dependent spectra for one-photon excitation, and show how these differ at a fundamental level when considering TLS population effects. Numerically, we also present matrix product state (MPS) simulations, which allow us to compute more general photon correlation functions for arbitrary quantum pulses, and we use this approach to also show results for Gaussian quantum pulses and to confirm the accuracy of our analytical solutions. In the case of a chiral TLS, we show how a one-photon pulse, of any temporal shape, yields a transmitted long-time spectrum that is identical to the input pulse, despite significant TLS population effects. However, the dynamical spectra and spectral intensity show rich population effects, allowing for their detection in spectroscopic experiments. We also show the striking differences between one-photon and two-photon excitation, where the latter shows clear signatures of nonlinear saturation effects. In addition, we demonstrate how significant population TLS dynamics also occur for pulses that are relatively long compared to the radiative decay time (showing that a weak excitation approximation, which neglects finite TLS population effects, cannot be made) and investigate the population signatures, nonlinear features and dynamical behavior as a function of quantum pulse length.