We investigate single-photon scattering in a waveguide-QED setup, where a giant molecule composed of two frequency-detuned giant atoms is coupled to two parallel waveguides via multiple connection points. The competition between coherent atom--atom coupling and the effective decay rates dictates the splitting of a single resonance into a doublet in the transmission (reflection) spectra. By tailoring the asymmetry of the decay rates and the atomic detuning, one can engineer photon-path interference to optimize the transfer between waveguides; under chiral coupling conditions, this interference can be further harnessed to realize fully deterministic routing. In the non-Markovian regime, retardation effects can reshape the spectra and actively drive transitions between the weak- and strong-coupling regimes, converting an unsplit Markovian resonance into a clearly separated doublet, or conversely merging a split doublet back into a single resonance. For sufficiently long time delays, it further generates multiple resonances and avoided crossings, enriching the spectral response. Our results demonstrate how atomic detuning, decay-rate asymmetry, and non-Markovian retardation cooperate to provide versatile, interference-based control over single-photon routing in multi-port quantum networks.
We investigate single-photon scattering in a waveguide-QED setup, where a giant molecule composed of two frequency-detuned giant atoms is coupled to two parallel waveguides via multiple connection points. The competition between coherent atom--atom coupling and the effective decay rates dictates the splitting of a single resonance into a doublet in the transmission (reflection) spectra. By tailoring the asymmetry of the decay rates and the atomic detuning, one can engineer photon-path interference to optimize the transfer between waveguides; under chiral coupling conditions, this interference can be further harnessed to realize fully deterministic routing. In the non-Markovian regime, retardation effects can reshape the spectra and actively drive transitions between the weak- and strong-coupling regimes, converting an unsplit Markovian resonance into a clearly separated doublet, or conversely merging a split doublet back into a single resonance. For sufficiently long time delays, it further generates multiple resonances and avoided crossings, enriching the spectral response. Our results demonstrate how atomic detuning, decay-rate asymmetry, and non-Markovian retardation cooperate to provide versatile, interference-based control over single-photon routing in multi-port quantum networks.
We study single-photon scattering spectra of a giant atom chirally coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide at multiple connection points, and examine chirality-induced effects in the scattering spectra. We show that the transmission spectra typically possess an anti-Lorentzian lineshape with a nonzero minimum, but by engineering the chirality of the multipoint coupling, the transmission spectrum of an incident photon can undergo a transition from complete transmission to total reflection at multiple frequency ``windows,'' where the width of the anti-Lorentzian lineshape for each of the window can be flexibly tuned at a fixed frequency detuning. Moreover, we show that a perfect nonreciprocal photon scattering can be achieved due to the interplay between internal atomic spontaneous emission and the chirally external decay to the waveguide, in contrast to that induced by the non-Markovian retardation effect. We also consider the non-Markovian retardation effect on the scattering spectra, which allows for a photonic band gap even with only two chiral coupling points. The giant-atom-waveguide system with chiral coupling is a promising candidate for realizing single-photon routers with multiple channels.
We investigate the single-photon scattering spectra in a giant-molecule waveguide quantum electrodynamics system, where a giant molecule consisting of two coupled giant atoms is connected to two waveguides via two separate sites, respectively. The phases of coupling strengths between the giant molecule and waveguides are considered. Using a real-space method, we obtain the exact analytical expressions for the single-photon scattering coefficients, which are valid both in the Markovian and non-Markovian regimes. It is shown that the transmission spectra strongly depend on phases, including the phases accumulated by photons traveling between coupling points and the phase difference between two coupled channels of the giant-molecule upper (lower) waveguide. Under the Markovian limit, we find that by selecting appropriate accumulated phases and local phase difference, targeted routing and asymmetrical scattering of photons can be achieved without breaking the symmetry in the coupling configuration between the giant molecule and waveguides. Moreover, all the optimal phase combinations for implementing single-photon routing have been summarized. In the non-Markovian regime, the scattering spectra show more complicated line shapes with multiple staggered peaks and dips. More interestingly, the scattering spectrum exhibits periodic changes during the transition from the Markovian to the non-Markovian regime, which makes one obtain a means to control photon routing in addition to phases. Our results may be useful in controlling and manipulating light-matter interactions involving giant atoms at the single-photon level.
We study chiral and nonreciprocal single-photon scattering in a chiral-giant-molecule waveguide-QED system. Here, the giant molecule consists of two coupled giant atoms, which interact with two linear waveguides, forming a four-port quantum device. We obtain the exact analytical expressions of the four scattering amplitudes using a real-space method. Under the Markovian limit, we find that the single-photon scattering behavior is determined by the coupling strength between the giant atoms and the waveguides, the coupling strength between the two giant atoms, and the nondipole effect caused by the phase accumulation of photons traveling between the coupling points. It is also found that chiral and nonreciprocal single-photon scattering can be realized by introducing the chiral coupling to break the symmetry in the coupling configuration between the giant molecule and the waveguides. In addition, an ideal chiral emitter-waveguide coupling enables a directional single-photon routing. In the non-Markovian regime, the scattering spectra are characterized by more abundant structures with multiple peaks and dips. In particular, we demonstrate that the non-Markovian retarded effect can induce the nonreciprocal single-photon scattering. Our results have potential applications in the design of optical quantum devices involving giant atoms, which can provide an efficient platform for studying chiral quantum optics.
We study the coherent single-photon scattering in a one-dimensional waveguide coupled to a giant artificial molecule consisting of two coupled giant atoms. Since each giant atom couples to the waveguide via two coupling points, the couplings of the molecule with the waveguide have three different coupling configurations: the separated-, braided-, and nested-coupling cases. We obtain the exact expressions of the single-photon transmission and reflection amplitudes with the real-space approach. It is found that the behavior of the scattering spectra depends on the phase shift between two neighboring coupling points, the coupling configuration, and the coupling between the two giant atoms. Concretely, we study the photon scattering in both the Markovian and non-Markovian regimes, in which the photon propagating time between two neighboring coupling points is neglected and considered, respectively. Under the Markovian limit, the asymmetric Fano line shapes in different coupling configurations of the giant-molecule waveguide-QED system can be obtained by choosing proper phase shift, and the transmission window can be adjusted by the coupling strength between the two giant atoms in these three coupling configurations. In particular, multiple reflection peaks and dips in these configurations are revived in the non-Markovian regime. This paper will pave the way for the study of controllable single-photon devices based on the giant-molecule waveguide-QED systems.
We investigate the single-photon scattering spectra of a giant atom coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide via multiple connection points or a continuous coupling region. Using a full quantum mechanical method, we obtain the general analytic expressions for the single-photon scattering coefficients, which are valid in both the Markovian and the non-Markovian regimes. We summarize the influences of the nondipole effects, mainly caused by the phases accumulated by photons traveling between coupling points, on the scattering spectra. We find that under the Markovian limit, the phase decay is detuning independent, resulting in Lorentzian line shapes characterized by the Lamb shifts and the effective decay rates, while in the non-Markovian regime, the accumulated phases become detuning dependent, giving rise to non-Lorentzian line shapes, characterized by multiple side peaks and total transmission points. Another interesting phenomenon in the non-Markovian regime is the generation of a broad photonic band gap by a single giant atom. We further generalize the case of discrete coupling points to the continuum limit with atom coupling to the waveguide via a continuous area, and analyze the scattering spectra for some typical distributions of coupling strength.
This work is to investigate the single-photon scattering in a waveguide quantum electrodynamics system consisting of two dipole-coupled giant atoms, each interacting with a separate one-dimensional infinite waveguide at two distinct coupling points. Our primary objective is to establish a theoretical framework for manipulating photon propagation paths via quantum interference induced by multiple coupling points and local phase engineering. Unlike traditional chiral coupling schemes, an innovative method, in which the coupling phases are designed locally at each atom-waveguide interface, is used to achieve effective chiral coupling, thereby introducing novel quantum interference mechanisms. Using a real-space approach, we derive analytical expressions for four-port scattering amplitudes. We establish the conditions for achieving perfect directional routing to any output port and demonstrate the coherent control mechanisms implemented by geometric and local coupled phases. Continuous frequency tunability is primarily achieved through dipole-dipole interaction, and finely tuned through the accumulated phase and local coupling phases. Local phase differences precisely regulate port-specific probability distributions within the waveguides while preserving total routing efficiency. Furthermore, we elucidate the mechanisms of nonreciprocal transport and chiral scattering. The analysis reveals different governing principles: perfect nonreciprocity arises from the interplay of the accumulated phase, local coupling phases, photon-atom detuning, and dipole-dipole interaction. In contrast, perfect chiral scattering depends entirely on the accumulated phase and local coupling phases, and is independent of detuning. Notably, under the phase-matching conditions, the system achieves both perfect chiral and directional routing, and realizes frequency-selective path-asymmetric photon control. These findings provide a comprehensive framework for manipulating quantum interference in multi-atom waveguide systems, highlighting applications in quantum information processing, including tunable single-photon routers, isolators, and chiral quantum nodes. By implementing superconducting circuits, the local phase can be dynamically adjusted, thus proving the feasibility of the experiment.