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Nature

Quantum nonlinear optics with single photons enabled by strongly interacting atoms

Thibault Peyronel, Ofer Firstenberg, Qiyu Liang, Sebastian Hofferberth, Alexey Vyacheslavovich Gorshkov, Thomas Pohl, Mikhail D. Lukin, Vladan Vuletić

Published Jul 24, 2012• 844 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1038/nature11361

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Rydberg atoms have emerged as a versatile platform for quantum optics due to their exaggerated properties, particularly their strong long-range interactions, which enable a new regime of light-matter interaction. By mapping the interactions between Rydberg atoms onto photons, effective photon-photon interactions can be realized at the single-photon level, thereby overcoming the intrinsic weakness of conventional optical nonlinearities. In this review, we first introduce the fundamental physical principles of Rydberg-mediated quantum optics, and then discuss some key developments, including single-photon engineering, photonic quantum gates, contactless nonlinear optics, and quantum entanglement, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and prospects of this rapidly developing field.