The large field intensities and tight field confinements that are readily achievable using nanoscale plasmonic devices offer intriguing new tools for use in quantum optics, single-photon nonlinear optics, and atomic physics. We discuss several methods in which plasmonics can be used to enable the coherent manipulation of single photons and strong nonlinear interactions between them.
The large field intensities and tight field confinements that are readily achievable using nanoscale plasmonic devices offer intriguing new tools for use in quantum optics, single-photon nonlinear optics, and atomic physics. We discuss several methods in which plasmonics can be used to enable the coherent manipulation of single photons and strong nonlinear interactions between them.
New paradigms for optical physics emerge with lattices of atoms trapped in one and two-dimensional photonic crystals [1-4]. Exemplary experimental platforms include photonic crystal waveguides [5-7] and cavities [8, 9]. Owing to their small optical loss and tight field confinement, these nanoscale dielectric devices are capable of mediating long-range atom-atom interactions using photons propagating in their guided modes. In a complimentary fashion, long-range interactions between photons can be mediated by an underlying lattice of atoms. Such systems have the potential to provide new tools for scalable quantum networks, quantum phases of light and matter, and quantum metrology. However, bringing this future of atom nanophotonics to fruition requires the creation of an interdisciplinary toolkit for the control, manipulation, and interaction of atoms and photons with a complexity and scalability not currently possible. I will give an overview of the theoretical prospects for new physics and review experimental progress in this nascent field at the interfaces of nano-photonics, atomic physics, and quantum optics.
Quantum plasmonics explores how light interacts with collective charge oscillations at metal-dielectric interfaces, enabling strong confinement and enhanced quantum effects at the nanoscale. While traditional quantum optics focuses on single photons, this thesis explores an intermediate regime - multiparticle quantum optics - where classical light, analyzed using photon-number-resolving detection and projective measurements, reveals nontrivial quantum correlations. We begin by establishing the theoretical foundation of multiparticle quantum plasmonics, introducing key concepts like photon-plasmon interactions, coherence, and statistical fluctuations. The first study shows that multiparticle scattering can alter quantum statistics in plasmonic systems, offering new control over fluctuations. The second reveals nonclassical near-field plasmon dynamics, showing how quantum coherence emerges from bosonic and fermionic contributions in subsystems. The third study presents a quantum plasmonic sensing method, using conditional detection to boost signal-to-noise ratio and improve phase estimation. The final study extends this approach to quantum imaging with natural light: by isolating multiphoton correlations from thermal light via photon-number-resolving detection and a single-pixel protocol, we enhance image contrast under noisy conditions. These results show that multiparticle interactions can control quantum statistical properties, even in classical fields. By bridging theory and application, this thesis advances quantum plasmonics and highlights the potential of multiphoton methods in imaging, sensing, and information processing.
Nanoscale quantum optics explores quantum phenomena in nanophotonics systems for advancing fundamental knowledge in nano and quantum optics and for harnessing the laws of quantum physics in the development of new photonics-based technologies. Here, we review recent progress in the field with emphasis on four main research areas: Generation, detection, manipulation and storage of quantum states of light at the nanoscale, Nonlinearities and ultrafast processes in nanostructured media, Nanoscale quantum coherence, Cooperative effects, correlations and many-body physics tailored by strongly confined optical fields. The focus is both on basic developments and technological implications, especially for what concerns information and communication technology, sensing and metrology, and energy efficiency.
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.
The progress in quantum information theory and the advances in the manipulation and control of quantum systems promise the advent of an era where quantum technologies will significantly change the fields of communication, computation and sensors. Even though some of these new technologies have already been successfully implemented, such as quantum key distribution [1] and quantum clocks [2], to fully develop the potential of these technologies we need to find new compact, reliable and robust quantum systems. In particular, we need to be able to control and process the elusive and delicate features of quantum entangled states, which are at the core of quantum technologies. In this sense, quantum photonics arises as one mature technology where most of the quantum information building blocks have been demonstrated. Most of the achievements in quantum photonics are hindered by the same limitations as the classical processing of light: weak interactions with matter, which impede efficient nonlinear processes, and large devices with dimensions many times the wavelength of light. Plasmonic devices may hold the key to overcome these hurdles due to strong interaction with light, small volumes of interaction, and the possibility to engineer and fabricate suitable nanostructures to address particular tasks [3].