Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Time-resolved Scattering of a Single Photon by a Single Atom

Matthias Steiner, Victor Leong, Mathias Alexander Seidler, Alessandro Ceré, Christian Kurtsiefer

Published Jan 1, 2016• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the scattering of heralded photons from a single trapped atom and demonstrate that the atomic dynamics depend on whether the temporal envelope of the photon wave packet is exponentially decaying or rising.
DOI
10.1364/cleo_qels.2016.fm3c.8

Related papers

Time-resolved scattering of a single photon by a single atom

Victor Leong, Mathias Alexander Seidler, Matthias Steiner +2 more

Scattering of light by matter has been studied extensively in the past. Yet, the most fundamental process, the scattering of a single photon by a single atom, is largely unexplored. One prominent prediction of quantum optics is the deterministic absorption of a travelling photon by a single atom, provided the photon waveform matches spatially and temporally the time-reversed version of a spontaneously emitted photon. Here we experimentally address this prediction and investigate the influence of the photon's temporal profile on the scattering dynamics using a single trapped atom and heralded single photons. In a time-resolved measurement of atomic excitation we find a 56(11)% increase of the peak excitation by photons with an exponentially rising profile compared with a decaying one. However, the overall scattering probability remains unchanged within the experimental uncertainties. Our results demonstrate that envelope tailoring of single photons enables precise control of the photon-atom interaction.

arXiv:1604.08020•Nature Communications•Nov 29, 2016•53 citations

Time-resolved scattering of a single photon by a single atom

Matthias Steiner, Victor Leong, Mathias Alexander Seidler +2 more

Summary form only given. Is an atom more likely to scatter a photon with an exponentially rising or decaying temporal profile? We try to answer this question experimentally and investigate the scattering of heralded photons from a single atom in free-space. We use a single Rubidium atom trapped in optical tweezers and prepared in the groundstate of a cyclic dipole transition as a textbook-like two-level system. A time-ordered photon pair source, in conjunction with an asymmetric cavity, generates heralded single photons with an exponentially decaying or rising temporal profile. The heralded photons are resonant with the atomic transition and have a bandwidth comparable to the atomic linewidth. The photons are strongly focused onto the atom by a large numerical aperture lens. We study the scattering dynamics by measuring the atomic emission and the reduction in the number of transmitted photons. We perform the scattering experiment for photons with exponentially decaying and rising temporal envelopes and find that the atomic dynamics depend on the temporal profile of the photon. The atomic absorption is shorter but has a higher maximum for the rising photon than for the the decaying one. Interestingly, the overall probability that the photon is scattered by the atom is similar for decaying and rising photons.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 1, 2017•2 citations

Double-heralded single-photon absorption by a single atom

José Luis Saquinaula Brito, Stephan Kucera, Pascal Eich +5 more

We present a single-photon to single-atom interface, where a heralded single photon generated by Spontaneous Parametric Conversion is absorbed by a single trapped ion, subsequently generating a single Raman-scattered photon that heralds the absorption event.

•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations

Temporal shaping of a heralded single-photon wave packet

So-Young Baek, Osung Kwon, Yoon-Ho Kim

We report the temporal shaping and nonlocal control of a heralded single-photon wave packet, conditionally prepared by detecting the idler trigger photon of the signal-idler photon pair born in the process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•May 1, 2008•0 citations

Generation of an exponentially rising single-photon field from parametric conversion in atoms

Gurpreet Kaur Gulati, Bharath Srivathsan, Brenda Chng +3 more

We prepare heralded single photons from a photon pair source based on nondegenerate four-wave mixing in a cold atomic ensemble via a cascade decay scheme. Their statistics shows strong antibunching with a value for the second order correlation at zero delay less than 0.03, indicating a near single photon character. In an optical homodyne experiment, we directly measure the temporal envelope of these photons and find, depending on the heralding scheme, an exponentially decaying or rising profile. Such a rising envelope is required for the efficient interaction between a single photon and a two level system. At the same time, their observation illustrates the breakdown of a realistic interpretation of the heralding process in terms of defining an initial condition of a physical system.

arXiv:1402.5800•Physical Review A•Sep 11, 2014•42 citations

Preparation of single photon states with rising exponential shape

Gurpreet Kaur Gulati, Mathias Alexander Seidler, Alessandro Ceré +4 more

We prepare single photons with a temporal envelope with rising exponential shape, resembling the time-reversed version of photons from the spontaneous decay process using a parametric conversion process in a cold atomic vapor. The mechanism is based on correlated photon pair preparation and heralding of one photon by the other one after engineering the temporal envelope of the herald.1 Such a temporal single photon profile is ideal for absorption by a two level system.2, 3 We demonstrate this in an experiment showcasing the absorption by a single Rubidium atom.4

Quantum Photonic Devices•Aug 29, 2017•0 citations
Scattering of light by matter has been studied extensively in the past. Yet, the most fundamental process, the scattering of a single photon by a single atom, is largely unexplored. One prominent prediction of quantum optics is the deterministic absorption of a travelling photon by a single atom, provided the photon waveform matches spatially and temporally the time-reversed version of a spontaneously emitted photon. Here we experimentally address this prediction and investigate the influence of the photon's temporal profile on the scattering dynamics using a single trapped atom and heralded single photons. In a time-resolved measurement of atomic excitation we find a 56(11)% increase of the peak excitation by photons with an exponentially rising profile compared with a decaying one. However, the overall scattering probability remains unchanged within the experimental uncertainties. Our results demonstrate that envelope tailoring of single photons enables precise control of the photon-atom interaction.
Summary form only given. Is an atom more likely to scatter a photon with an exponentially rising or decaying temporal profile? We try to answer this question experimentally and investigate the scattering of heralded photons from a single atom in free-space. We use a single Rubidium atom trapped in optical tweezers and prepared in the groundstate of a cyclic dipole transition as a textbook-like two-level system. A time-ordered photon pair source, in conjunction with an asymmetric cavity, generates heralded single photons with an exponentially decaying or rising temporal profile. The heralded photons are resonant with the atomic transition and have a bandwidth comparable to the atomic linewidth. The photons are strongly focused onto the atom by a large numerical aperture lens. We study the scattering dynamics by measuring the atomic emission and the reduction in the number of transmitted photons. We perform the scattering experiment for photons with exponentially decaying and rising temporal envelopes and find that the atomic dynamics depend on the temporal profile of the photon. The atomic absorption is shorter but has a higher maximum for the rising photon than for the the decaying one. Interestingly, the overall probability that the photon is scattered by the atom is similar for decaying and rising photons.
We prepare heralded single photons from a photon pair source based on nondegenerate four-wave mixing in a cold atomic ensemble via a cascade decay scheme. Their statistics shows strong antibunching with a value for the second order correlation at zero delay less than 0.03, indicating a near single photon character. In an optical homodyne experiment, we directly measure the temporal envelope of these photons and find, depending on the heralding scheme, an exponentially decaying or rising profile. Such a rising envelope is required for the efficient interaction between a single photon and a two level system. At the same time, their observation illustrates the breakdown of a realistic interpretation of the heralding process in terms of defining an initial condition of a physical system.
We prepare single photons with a temporal envelope with rising exponential shape, resembling the time-reversed version of photons from the spontaneous decay process using a parametric conversion process in a cold atomic vapor. The mechanism is based on correlated photon pair preparation and heralding of one photon by the other one after engineering the temporal envelope of the herald.1 Such a temporal single photon profile is ideal for absorption by a two level system.2, 3 We demonstrate this in an experiment showcasing the absorption by a single Rubidium atom.4