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New Journal of Physics

Generation of non-Gaussian states of light using deterministic photon subtraction

Abdolreza Pasharavesh, Michal Bajcsy

Published Nov 1, 2024• 13 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We explore a recently demonstrated deterministic photon subtraction scheme, based on single-photon Raman interaction with a Λ-type three-level atom, as a tool for manipulating quantum state of few-photon light pulses. We establish a comprehensive theoretical framework using input–output formalism and quantum regression theorem, enabling calculation of the first order autocorrelation matrices of the output light and identification of the temporal modes present in the generated light via their eigendecomposition. By modeling the entire system as a quantum network consisting multiple virtual cavities and a lambda-type emitter cascaded in two parallel guided modes of opposite propagation directions, we extract the quantum state occupying the modes of interest. For both squeezed vacuum and coherent light input pulses, the Wigner function of the output light after photon subtraction clearly reveals its non-Gaussian character. Furthermore, we propose a measurement-based scheme on the subtracted photon which can lead to conditional generation of quantum states resembling Schrodinger’s kitten state directly from coherent input light with fidelities above 99%. This result is particularly nothworthy, as coherent pulses, unlike the squeezed vacuum inputs commonly used in previous studies, are readily available in most experimental setups.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/ad95b3

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arXiv:2108.02636•Physical Review A•Jan 28, 2022•11 citations
Abstract We explore a recently demonstrated deterministic photon subtraction scheme, based on single-photon Raman interaction with a Λ-type three-level atom, as a tool for manipulating quantum state of few-photon light pulses. We establish a comprehensive theoretical framework using input–output formalism and quantum regression theorem, enabling calculation of the first order autocorrelation matrices of the output light and identification of the temporal modes present in the generated light via their eigendecomposition. By modeling the entire system as a quantum network consisting multiple virtual cavities and a lambda-type emitter cascaded in two parallel guided modes of opposite propagation directions, we extract the quantum state occupying the modes of interest. For both squeezed vacuum and coherent light input pulses, the Wigner function of the output light after photon subtraction clearly reveals its non-Gaussian character. Furthermore, we propose a measurement-based scheme on the subtracted photon which can lead to conditional generation of quantum states resembling Schrodinger’s kitten state directly from coherent input light with fidelities above 99%. This result is particularly nothworthy, as coherent pulses, unlike the squeezed vacuum inputs commonly used in previous studies, are readily available in most experimental setups.
Photon subtraction and addition are essential non-Gaussian processes in quantum optics, where conventional methods using linear optics and number-resolving detection often suffer from low success probability. Here, we introduce the concept of \textit{dynamic stimulated emission}, whereby a quantum emitter undergoes stimulated emission with a time-dependent coupling. Despite interacting with a multimode photon field, we show that, for both two- and three-level emitters, their dynamics can mimic that of a single-mode Jaynes-Cummings model. This feature can be used to deterministically add or subtract a photon while maintaining a single propagating optical mode. We provide semi-analytic solutions to this problem for Fock states, enabling deterministic and unconditional photon addition and subtraction with fidelity F>0.996{\cal F}>0.996F>0.996. Our semi-analytic solutions are provided for both dynamically coupled two-level systems and for three-level systems whose dynamical coupling is controlled by a coherent laser drive. Moving beyond individual Fock states, we further showcase the ability to subtract and add single photons to photon-number superposition states. We show that Schr{ö}dinger cat states can be prepared from squeezed vacuum input via cascaded subtraction or cascaded addition. Finally, we show that our photon-addition process can be used to add a photon to any squeezed and displaced state with high success probability and fidelity F>0.99{\cal F}>0.99F>0.99, thereby potentially converting quantum emitters from single-photon sources to sources of single-photon-added Gaussian states without the need for inline squeezing. Our protocols provide a path towards integrating quantum emitters to construct efficient sources of single-mode non-Gaussian light beyond single photons.
Optical non-Gaussian quantum states can be generated in a heralded manner by applying a photon subtraction operation to a Gaussian input state. In our work, we develop a theoretical framework to describe this operation in the case where the input state is spectrally multimode. This framework allows the optimal design of photon subtraction experiments. We give the exact expression of the generated non-Gaussian state in the general case. We apply this framework to the case of Schrodinger kitten state generation using a multimode squeezed vacuum as input state. We show that the quality of the generated state (in terms of fidelity and Wigner function negativity) can be enhanced by adapting the different experimental parameters.
The single-photon Raman interaction has emerged as a promising tool for deterministic photon subtraction, acting as a photon-activated switch in which the first arriving photon renders the system transparent to subsequent photons. Here, we employ the input-output formalism to perform a single-photon transport analysis within a photon subtractor consisting of a three-level quantum emitter coupled to a bimodal cavity-waveguide system. The analysis provides the frequency response of the system and reveals how it is affected by the key physical parameters of the cavity modes, such as coupling strengths and decay rates. We utilize these results to calculate the probability of successful photon subtraction from pulses of different temporal shapes, durations, and carrier frequencies. Subsequent analysis combines the input-output formalism with the quantum trajectory method to numerically verify the analytical findings as well as to assess the impact of photon number of the input pulse on the subtractor's performance. Our findings highlight the single-photon model's capability in predicting the system's response to multiphoton inputs in the pulsed regime as well as its potential utility in the design of efficient single-photon subtractors.
Abstract This work presents a deterministic photon subtraction scheme that selectively extracts photons from an input light stream based on their arrival time sequence. The scheme exploits the temporal entanglement generated during single‐photon Raman interaction in a chiral waveguide coupled to a cascade of Λ‐type atoms. It is demonstrated that this photon subtractor enables the generation of high‐fidelity and modal purity multi‐photon Fock states. Using a variational approach, the modal structure of the output light is identified, based on a non‐orthogonal basis formed through post‐selection of the output pulses. Within an input‐output network framework, numerical simulations are performed to calculate the quantum state of the output light. Additionally, the use of the generated Fock‐state pulses in optical interferometry is investigated, demonstrating their potential for quantum metrology applications at the Heisenberg limit.
This paper establishes a versatile theoretical framework that explicitly describes single-photon subtraction from multimode quantum light in the context of non-Gaussian state generation and manipulation. The treatment focuses on easy-to-implement configurations in which no mode-selective operation is available and evaluates features and advantages of schemes where only simple filtering stages are employed on the experiments. Such configuration, by considerably reducing the experimental overheads, makes experiments involving single-photon subtraction easier to be implemented. The obtained theoretical framework allows retrieving, given a multimode input state, optimal conditions required to herald and then to detect non-Gaussian states, providing a practical and powerful toolbox for experiments' design. The application of the proposed approach to the case study of Schr\"odinger cat state preparation starting from a frequency multimode squeezed state illustrates the impact of the derived theoretical tools.