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Point-coupling Hamiltonian for broadband linear optical devices

Rahul Trivedi, Kevin A. Fischer, Sattwik Deb Mishra, Jelena Vuckovic A

Published Jul 4, 2019• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We present the point-coupling Hamiltonian as a model for broadband linear optical devices acting on propagating optical modes described as a continua of harmonic oscillators. We formally integrate the Heisenberg equations of motion for this Hamiltonian, calculate its quantum scattering matrix, and show that an application of the quantum scattering matrix on an input state is equivalent to applying the inverse of classical scattering matrix on the annihilation operators describing the optical modes. We show how to construct the point-coupling Hamiltonian corresponding to a general linear optical device described by a classical scattering matrix, and provide examples of Hamiltonians for some commonly used linear optical devices. Finally, in order to demonstrate the practical utility of the point-coupling Hamiltonian, we use it to rigorously formulate a matrix-product-state based simulation for time-delayed feedback systems wherein the feedback is provided by a linear optical device described by a scattering matrix as opposed to a hard boundary condition (e.g. a mirror with less than unity reflectivity).

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We present the point-coupling Hamiltonian as a model for broadband linear optical devices acting on propagating optical modes described as a continua of harmonic oscillators. We formally integrate the Heisenberg equations of motion for this Hamiltonian, calculate its quantum scattering matrix, and show that an application of the quantum scattering matrix on an input state is equivalent to applying the inverse of classical scattering matrix on the annihilation operators describing the optical modes. We show how to construct the point-coupling Hamiltonian corresponding to a general linear optical device described by a classical scattering matrix, and provide examples of Hamiltonians for some commonly used linear optical devices. Finally, in order to demonstrate the practical utility of the point-coupling Hamiltonian, we use it to rigorously formulate a matrix-product-state based simulation for time-delayed feedback systems wherein the feedback is provided by a linear optical device described by a scattering matrix as opposed to a hard boundary condition (e.g. a mirror with less than unity reflectivity).
We present the point-coupling Hamiltonian as a model for frequency-independent linear optical devices acting on propagating optical modes described as a continua of harmonic oscillators. We formally integrate the Heisenberg equations of motion for this Hamiltonian, calculate its quantum scattering matrix, and show that an application of the quantum scattering matrix on an input state is equivalent to applying the inverse of classical scattering matrix on the annihilation operators describing the optical modes. We show how to construct the point-coupling Hamiltonian corresponding to a general linear optical device described by a classical scattering matrix, and provide examples of Hamiltonians for some commonly used linear optical devices. Finally, in order to demonstrate the practical utility of the point-coupling Hamiltonian, we use it to rigorously formulate a matrix-product-state based simulation for time-delayed feedback systems wherein the feedback is provided by a linear optical device described by a scattering matrix as opposed to a hard boundary condition (e.g., a mirror with less than unity reflectivity).
Abstract We study the scattering of photons propagating in a semi-infinite waveguide terminated by a mirror and interacting with a quantum emitter. This paradigm constitutes an example of coherent quantum feedback, where light emitted towards the mirror gets redirected back to the emitter. We derive an analytical solution for the scattering of two-photon states, which is based on an exact resummation of the perturbative expansion of the scattering matrix, in a regime where the time delay of the coherent feedback is comparable to the timescale of the quantum emitter’s dynamics. We compare the results with numerical simulations based on matrix product state techniques simulating the full dynamics of the system, and extend the study to the scattering of coherent states beyond the low-power limit.
We derive in the Heisenberg picture a widely used phenomenological coupling element to treat feedback effects in quantum optical platforms. Our derivation is based on a microscopic Hamiltonian, which describes the mirror-emitter dynamics based on a dielectric, a mediating fully quantized electromagnetic field and a single two-level system in front of the dielectric. The dielectric is modelled as a system of identical two-state atoms. The Heisenberg equation yields a system of describing differential operator equations, which we solve in the Weisskopf–Wigner limit. Due to a finite round-trip time between emitter and dielectric, we yield delay differential operator equations. Our derivation motivates and justifies the typical phenomenologicalassumed coupling element and allows, furthermore, a generalization to a variety of mirrors, such as dissipative mirrors or mirrors with gain dynamics.
We present a finite-element approach for computing the aggregate scattering matrix of a network of linear coherent scatterers. These might be optical scatterers or more general scattering coins studied in quantum walk theory. While techniques exist for two-dimensional lattices of feed-forward scatterers, the present approach is applicable to any network configuration of any collection of scatterers. Unlike traditional finite-element methods in optics, this method does not directly solve Maxwell’s equations; instead it is used to assemble and solve a linear, coupled scattering problem that emerges after Maxwell’s equations are abstracted within the scattering matrix method. With this approach, a global unitary is assembled corresponding to one time step of the quantum walk on the network. After applying the relevant boundary conditions to this global matrix, the problem becomes non-unitary and possesses a steady-state solution that is the output scattering state. We provide an algorithm to obtain this steady-state solution exactly using a matrix inversion, yielding the scattering state without requiring a direct calculation of the eigenspectrum. The approach is then numerically validated on a coupled-cavity interferometer example that possesses a known, closed-form solution. Finally, the method is shown to be a generalization of the Redheffer star product, which describes scatterers on one-dimensional lattices (2-regular graphs) and is often applied to the design of thin-film optics, making the current approach an invaluable tool for the design and validation of high-dimensional phase-reprogrammable optical devices and study of quantum walks on arbitrary graphs.
A simple method of analyzing quantum feedback circuits is presented. The classical analysis of feedback circuits can be generalized to apply to quantum systems by mapping the field operators of various outputs to other inputs via the standard input-output formalism. Unfortunately, this has led to unphysical results such as the violation of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle for in-loop fields. This paper shows that this general approach can be redeemed by ensuring a self-consistently Hermitian Hamiltonian. The calculations are based on a noncommutative calculus of operator derivatives. A full description of several examples of quantum linear and nonlinear feedback for optical systems is presented.