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Physical Review A

Chiral and nonreciprocal transmission of single photons in coupled-resonator-waveguide systems

Jun‐Cong Zheng, Xing‐Liang Dong, Jia‐Qiang Chen, Xin‐Lei Hei, Xue‐Feng Pan, Xiao-Yu Yao, Yu‐Meng Ren, Yi‐Fan Qiao, Fuli Li

Published Jun 24, 2024• 27 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper, we employ two two-level atoms and a $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$-type atom to connect two one-dimensional semi-infinite coupled resonator waveguides, respectively. The first configuration is a chiral setup, where incident photons undergo an elastic scattering process. We investigate the influence on the single-photon transfer rate of spatial coupling points between the small or giant atom and the waveguides. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that additional coupling points in the giant atom system will modify the transmission rule observed in the small atom system due to their unique interference effects. The second configuration is a nonreciprocal setup, where the conduction direction depends entirely on the initial state of the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$-type atom. The incident photon undergoes an inelastic scattering process accompanied by frequency conversion.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.109.063709

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In this paper, we employ two two-level atoms and a \ensuremathΛ\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\ensuremathΛ-type atom to connect two one-dimensional semi-infinite coupled resonator waveguides, respectively. The first configuration is a chiral setup, where incident photons undergo an elastic scattering process. We investigate the influence on the single-photon transfer rate of spatial coupling points between the small or giant atom and the waveguides. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that additional coupling points in the giant atom system will modify the transmission rule observed in the small atom system due to their unique interference effects. The second configuration is a nonreciprocal setup, where the conduction direction depends entirely on the initial state of the \ensuremathΛ\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\ensuremathΛ-type atom. The incident photon undergoes an inelastic scattering process accompanied by frequency conversion.
Abstract Single-photon frequency conversion in the system composed of a Λ -type three-level giant atom chiral couples to a one-dimensional waveguide is investigated. Two configurations, i.e. one of the atomic transitions couples to the waveguide at two separated points while the other one either directly or indirectly couples to the waveguide at a single point, are considered. The scattering amplitudes for representing the frequency conversion in the two kinds of coupling schematics are obtained analytically with the real-space approach. The results show that perfect nonreciprocal transmission with preserving frequency and ideal directional frequency conversion can be realized due to the time-reversal symmetry broken induced by the chiral coupling as well as the self-interference comes from the giant atom. In particular, in the indirect coupling configuration, the scattering spectra exhibit two directional frequency conversion windows due to the atom-cavity coupling, which enables the present system suitable for the simultaneous manipulation of incident photons with different frequencies. These results may have potential applications in various quantum information processing and quantum network engineering.
Abstract We theoretically investigate single-photon scattering and nonreciprocal transmission in a coupled resonator waveguide which is coupled to a driven three-level giant atom via two distant sites. In our system, the local coupling phases are introduced to induce intriguing interference effects. As a result, the phase difference can serve as a sensitive controller for the photon scattering. It is found that the photon scattering properties can be effectively tailored by the size of the giant atom, the driving field and the phase difference. Intriguingly, by carefully tuning the parameters such as the atomic dissipation and the phase difference, a perfect nonreciprocal single-photon transmission can be realized. Additionally, the photon frequency can be adjusted by modulating Rabi frequency of the driving field. These results have significant potential for the development of nonreciprocal optical devices using the giant-atom configuration.
We study single-photon scattering spectra of a giant atom chirally coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide at multiple connection points, and examine chirality-induced effects in the scattering spectra. We show that the transmission spectra typically possess an anti-Lorentzian lineshape with a nonzero minimum, but by engineering the chirality of the multipoint coupling, the transmission spectrum of an incident photon can undergo a transition from complete transmission to total reflection at multiple frequency ``windows,'' where the width of the anti-Lorentzian lineshape for each of the window can be flexibly tuned at a fixed frequency detuning. Moreover, we show that a perfect nonreciprocal photon scattering can be achieved due to the interplay between internal atomic spontaneous emission and the chirally external decay to the waveguide, in contrast to that induced by the non-Markovian retardation effect. We also consider the non-Markovian retardation effect on the scattering spectra, which allows for a photonic band gap even with only two chiral coupling points. The giant-atom-waveguide system with chiral coupling is a promising candidate for realizing single-photon routers with multiple channels.
In this work, we utilize a two-level atom and a $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$-type atom to link two identical waveguides, subsequently extending the model to a giant-atom configuration. Our analytical solutions and numerical simulations demonstrate that this setup can achieve single-photon isolation and nonreciprocal frequency conversion by tuning the atom-waveguide coupling strengths gi{g}_{i}gi​, respectively. We also examine single-photon scattering in the giant-atom model within both the Markovian and non-Markovian regimes. The results reveal that ultranarrow scattering windows are induced by the phases ${\ensuremath{\phi}}_{1}$ and ${\ensuremath{\phi}}_{2}$ under specific conditions, making them well suited for precise frequency conversion and sensing. Additionally, in the non-Markovian regime, the spectra exhibit irregular polygonal shapes, offering enhanced opportunities for exploring nonreciprocal frequency conversion in the off-resonant regime. Our work provides an alternative perspective on achieving optical nonreciprocity at the single-photon level in atom-waveguide systems.
We theoretically investigate the single photon scattering properties in a waveguide chirally coupling to a giant atom. The single photon transmission spectrum depends on the direction of the single photon incident when the energy loss of the giant atom can not be neglected. The difference between the transmission probabilities corresponding to opposite transport direction ΔT is calculated. It shows that both of the position and width of the ΔT are dependent on the size of the giant atom. Furthermore, the position of the maximum ΔT and the frequency width of ΔT can be modulated by a classical laser beam. Our results will be beneficial to control single photons in quantum devices design involving giant atoms.
This work is to investigate the single-photon scattering in a waveguide quantum electrodynamics system consisting of two dipole-coupled giant atoms, each interacting with a separate one-dimensional infinite waveguide at two distinct coupling points. Our primary objective is to establish a theoretical framework for manipulating photon propagation paths via quantum interference induced by multiple coupling points and local phase engineering. Unlike traditional chiral coupling schemes, an innovative method, in which the coupling phases are designed locally at each atom-waveguide interface, is used to achieve effective chiral coupling, thereby introducing novel quantum interference mechanisms. Using a real-space approach, we derive analytical expressions for four-port scattering amplitudes. We establish the conditions for achieving perfect directional routing to any output port and demonstrate the coherent control mechanisms implemented by geometric and local coupled phases. Continuous frequency tunability is primarily achieved through dipole-dipole interaction, and finely tuned through the accumulated phase and local coupling phases. Local phase differences precisely regulate port-specific probability distributions within the waveguides while preserving total routing efficiency. Furthermore, we elucidate the mechanisms of nonreciprocal transport and chiral scattering. The analysis reveals different governing principles: perfect nonreciprocity arises from the interplay of the accumulated phase, local coupling phases, photon-atom detuning, and dipole-dipole interaction. In contrast, perfect chiral scattering depends entirely on the accumulated phase and local coupling phases, and is independent of detuning. Notably, under the phase-matching conditions, the system achieves both perfect chiral and directional routing, and realizes frequency-selective path-asymmetric photon control. These findings provide a comprehensive framework for manipulating quantum interference in multi-atom waveguide systems, highlighting applications in quantum information processing, including tunable single-photon routers, isolators, and chiral quantum nodes. By implementing superconducting circuits, the local phase can be dynamically adjusted, thus proving the feasibility of the experiment.