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Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Optical nonreciprocity via the standard Jaynes–Cummings model in a gain microcavity

Yunfei Ma, Tieping Li, Anshou Zheng

Published Jan 24, 2018• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Optical nonreciprocal devices are essential to quantum information processing and communication. We proposed a scheme for optical nonreciprocity via the nonlinear Jaynes–Cummings model in a gain cavity. In addition, the gain cavity is coupled to two fibers with different coupling strengths. In the scheme, the nonlinearity, which is induced by the interaction between a two-level quantum emitter and the cavity field, is enhanced by the cavity gain. Our calculations show that the nonlossy optical nonreciprocity is achievable with high isolation ratio in proper parameter range. Especially, the analytic method further shows the reciprocity broken by the combination of the asymmetric coupling and enhanced nonlinearity.

DOI
10.1364/josab.35.000356

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Optical nonreciprocal devices are essential to quantum information processing and communication. We proposed a scheme for optical nonreciprocity via the nonlinear Jaynes–Cummings model in a gain cavity. In addition, the gain cavity is coupled to two fibers with different coupling strengths. In the scheme, the nonlinearity, which is induced by the interaction between a two-level quantum emitter and the cavity field, is enhanced by the cavity gain. Our calculations show that the nonlossy optical nonreciprocity is achievable with high isolation ratio in proper parameter range. Especially, the analytic method further shows the reciprocity broken by the combination of the asymmetric coupling and enhanced nonlinearity.
We propose a scheme for nonreciprocal light propagation in two coupled cavities system, in which a two-level quantum emitter is coupled to one of the optical microcavities. For the case of parity-time ([Formula: see text]) symmetric system (i.e., coupled active-passive cavities system), the cavity gain can significantly enhance the optical nonlinearity induced by the interaction between a quantum emitter and cavity field beyond weak-excitation approximation. The increased optical nonlinearity results in the non-lossy nonreciprocal light propagation with high isolation ratio in proper parameters range. In addition, our calculations show that nonreciprocal light propagation will not be affected by the unstable output field intensity caused by optical bistability, and we can even switch directions of nonreciprocal light propagation by appropriately adjusting the system parameters.
We propose an alternative scheme for nonreciprocal light propagation in two coupled cavities system, in which a two-level quantum emitter is coupled to one of the optical microcavities. For the case of parity-time (\textrm{PT}) system (i.e., active-passive coupled cavities system), the cavity gain can significantly enhance the optical nonlinearity induced by the interaction between a quantum emitter and cavity field beyond weak-excitation approximation. The giant optical nonlinearity results in the non-lossy nonreciprocal light propagation with high isolation ratio in proper parameters range. In addition, our calculations show that nonreciprocal light propagation will not be affected by the unstable output field intensity caused by optical bistability and we can even switch directions of nonreciprocal light propagation by appropriately adjusting the system parameters.
Optical nonreciprocity is important in photonic information processing to route the optical signal or prevent the reverse flow of noise. By adopting the strong nonlinearity associated with a few atoms in a strongly coupled cavity QED system and an asymmetric cavity configuration, we experimentally demonstrate the nonreciprocal transmission between two counterpropagating light fields with extremely low power. The transmission of 18% is achieved for the forward light field, and the maximum blocking ratio for the reverse light is 30 dB. Though the transmission of the forward light can be maximized by optimizing the impedance matching of the cavity, it is ultimately limited by the inherent loss of the scheme. This nonreciprocity can even occur on a few-photon level due to the high optical nonlinearity of the system. The working power can be flexibly tuned by changing the effective number of atoms strongly coupled to the cavity. The idea and result can be applied to optical chips as optical diodes by using fiber-based cavity QED systems. Our work opens up new perspectives for realizing optical nonreciprocity on a few-photon level based on the nonlinearities of atoms strongly coupled to an optical cavity.
Abstract Optical nonreciprocal transmission with unidirectional amplification in a gain-assisted cavity-QED system is investigated. The results demonstrate that unidirectional amplification of this system is induced by the phase difference between the atom–cavity coupling strengths associated with the optical gain and a phase-controlled unidirectional amplifier can be achieved. The optimal parameter conditions for the observation of ideal unidirectional amplification are obtained analytically, and are shown to be dependent on phase, atom–cavity and cavity–cavity coupling strength, and atomic dissipation. In particular, it is found that atomic dissipation is another essential condition for the realization of nonreciprocal amplification other than breaking of the time-reversal symmetry, and our unidirectional amplifier is robust against atom–cavity coupling mismatch. Such unidirectional amplifiers are crucial nonreciprocal devices for controlling photon transmission and may have potential applications in quantum information processing.
Optical nonreciprocity is an essential property for a wide range of applications, such as building nonreciprocal optical devices that include isolators and circulators. The realization of optical nonreciprocity relies on breaking the symmetry associated with Lorentz reciprocity, which typically requires stringent conditions such as introducing a strong magnetic field or a high-finesse cavity with nonreciprocal coupling geometry. Here we discover that the collision effect of thermal atoms, which is undesirable for most studies, can induce broadband optical nonreciprocity. By exploiting the thermal atomic collision, we experimentally observe magnet-free and cavity-free optical nonreciprocity, which possesses a high isolation ratio, ultrabroad bandwidth, and low insertion loss simultaneously. The maximum isolation ratio is close to 40 dB, while the insertion loss is less than 1 dB. The bandwidth for an isolation ratio exceeding 20 dB is over 1.2 GHz, which is 2 orders of magnitude broader than typical resonance-enhanced optical isolators. Our work paves the way for the realization of high-performance optical nonreciprocal devices and provides opportunities for applications in integrated optics and quantum networks.
Abstract Optical transmission nonreciprocity as a widely investigated phenomenon is essential to various applications. Many sophisticated mechanisms have been proposed and tested for achieving the optical nonreciprocity on integrated scale, but the technical barriers still exist to their practical implementation. To have an ultra-high transmission nonreciprocity, we consider a simple physical mechanism of optical gain saturation applied to a structure of three mutually coupled cavities or fiber rings. The gain saturation processes in two of its components creates a significantly enhanced optical nonreciprocity that satisfies the requirements for the realistic applications. The structure enjoys two advantages of its wide working bandwidth and the flexibility in choosing its components. Moreover, it is possible to apply the structure to a faithful and non-reciprocal transmission of broadband pulse signals. The structure may considerably relax the constraints on the integrated photonic circuits based on the current technology.