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Physical Review A

Engineering superpositions of coherent states in coherent optical pulses through cavity-assisted interaction

B. Wang, Luming Duan

Published Aug 17, 2005• 74 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We propose a scheme to engineer quantum superpositions of coherent states (``Schr\"odinger-cat states'') of propagating optical pulses. Multidimensional and multipartite cat states can be generated simply by reflecting coherent optical pulses successively from a single-atom cavity. The influences of various sources of noise, including atomic spontaneous emission and pulse-shape distortion, are characterized through detailed numerical simulation, which demonstrates the practicality of this scheme within the reach of current experimental technology.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.72.022320

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We propose a scheme to engineer quantum superpositions of coherent states (``Schr"odinger-cat states'') of propagating optical pulses. Multidimensional and multipartite cat states can be generated simply by reflecting coherent optical pulses successively from a single-atom cavity. The influences of various sources of noise, including atomic spontaneous emission and pulse-shape distortion, are characterized through detailed numerical simulation, which demonstrates the practicality of this scheme within the reach of current experimental technology.
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We propose an alternative scheme for generation of atomic Schrödinger cat states in an optical cavity. In the scheme the atoms are always populated in the two ground states and the cavity remains in the vacuum state. Therefore, the scheme is insensitive to the atomic spontaneous emission and cavity decay. The scheme may be generalized to the deterministic generation of entangled coherent states for two atomic samples. In contrast with the previously proposed schemes of [Commun. Theor. Phys. 40 (2003) 103 and Chin. Phys. B 18 (2009) 1045], the required interaction time in our scheme is greatly shortened and thus the decoherence can be effectively suppressed.
Schrödinger cat states, representing coherent superpositions of macroscopically distinguishable states, are indispensable nonclassical resources for continuous-variable quantum information processing. Existing generation protocols typically rely on strong nonlinear interactions, complicated control techniques, or engineered dissipation, posing challenges for experimental implementation. Here, we propose a simple measurement-based protocol for generating Schrödinger cat states in a cavity-QED system by combining coherent driving, dispersive atom--cavity interactions, and atomic postselection. The atom--cavity interaction establishes coherent correlations between the atomic and photonic degrees of freedom, while the subsequent atomic postselection projects the cavity field onto a non-Gaussian superposition state with pronounced Wigner negativity. Numerical simulations based on the Lindblad master equation show that the generated Schrödinger cat states remain robust against moderate cavity dissipation. Our results demonstrate that conditional atomic measurements provide an effective and experimentally accessible approach for preparing nonclassical cavity states without relying on strong optical nonlinearities or engineered dissipation.
In 1935, Erwin Schrödinger put forward his famous gedanken experiment in which a microscopic degree of freedom - the emission state of a radioactive atom - and a macroscopic, classical state - the life or death of a cat - are entangled [1]. The resulting state is dubbed a Schrodinger-cat state. According to quantum theory, a measurement of the atom in a superposition basis projects the cat into a macroscopic superposition of being alive and dead. Here, we use coherent laser fields with different optical phases as a macroscopic model system and generate entangled Schrodinger-cat states in a deterministic way [3]. We reflect the coherent pulses from an optical cavity that contains a single strongly-coupled atom. This entangles the spin of the atom with the optical phase of the light field [2]. By manipulating and detecting the atomic state, we create a plethora of flying optical coherent-state superpositions. We reconstruct the corresponding Wigner functions (see Fig. 1) to demonstrate the tunability and non-classicality of the produced light state.
We propose a method for generating optical cat states in propagating pulses based on cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). This scheme uses multiple four-level systems (FLSs) inside an optical cavity as a light source. Time-modulating driving stimulates it to produce a superposition of coherent states entangled with the FLSs. The postselection of an appropriate state of the FLSs leads to a multicomponent cat state in a propagating pulse. Taking atomic decay and cavity loss into account, we optimize the cavity external coupling rate to maximize the fidelity. We find that its optimum value is formulated similarly to those of other generation methods for propagating states, suggesting a universal property of cavity-QED systems interacting with fields outside the cavity.