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arXiv:quant-ph/0203080 · Physical Review A

Creating single-atom and single-photon sources from entangled atomic ensembles

Mark E. Saffman, Thad G Walker

Published Dec 16, 2002• 222 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We discuss the application of dipole blockade techniques for the preparation of single-atom and single-photon sources. A deterministic protocol is given for loading a single atom in an optical trap, as well as ejecting a controlled number of atoms in a desired direction. A single-photon source with an optically controlled beamlike emission pattern is described.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.66.065403

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We discuss the application of dipole blockade techniques for the preparation of single-atom and single-photon sources. A deterministic protocol is given for loading a single atom in an optical trap, as well as ejecting a controlled number of atoms in a desired direction. A single-photon source with an optically controlled beamlike emission pattern is described.
The deterministic generation of collimated single and entangled photons is of crucial importance in several applications in quantum information. Most of the methods require the use of high-Q cavities, something which is very demanding in practice. In this work we propose a new method to produce single-and entangled-photons in a deterministic way which does not require the use of cavities. It relies on the collective light emission in some particular directions as a consequence of the presence of entanglement in an atomic ensemble. This light emission is triggered by a laser pulse, and therefore our scheme is deterministic. Furthermore, it allows one to produce a variety of photonic entangled states by first preparing certain classes of atomic entangled states.
In this thesis a single atom is trapped in the mode of a high-finesse cavity and used to generate single photons in a controlled way. Starting from a magneto-optical trap, rubidium atoms are loaded into an optical dipole-force trap and transported to the cavity. On arrival the atoms are trapped in another trap with a standing wave geometry and excited by a pump laser incident perpendicular to the cavity axis. With the help of cavity cooling forces, a single atom could then be selected and trapped for up to a minute. A sequence of laser pulses is applied to induce the emission of a stream of single photons from the atom. Up to 300000 photons could be generated from the same atom in this way. The single-photon character of the source is verified within a few seconds after which the photons can be distributed to an independent user while monitoring the presence of the atom.
We propose and analyze a new method to produce single and entangled photons which does not require cavities. It relies on the collective enhancement of light emission as a consequence of the presence of entanglement in atomic ensembles. Light emission is triggered by a laser pulse, and therefore our scheme is deterministic. Furthermore, it allows one to produce a variety of photonic entangled states by first preparing certain atomic states using simple sequences of quantum gates. We analyze the feasibility of our scheme, and particularize it to: ions in linear traps, atoms in optical lattices, and in cells at room temperature.
The manipulation of single-quantum objects is a key requirement for the engineering of microscopic quantum systems. Applications such as single-atom micromasers (microwave lasers), triggered single-photon sources, or deterministic entanglement of atoms all require the ability to deliver single atoms on demand to a desired location. The trapping and manipulation of atoms as neutral species is more challenging than for charged ions because of the weak interaction of neutral species with electromagnetic fields. Kuhr et al. (p. 278) have overcome these difficulties by combining magneto-optical trapping and optical-trapping techniques. They demonstrate the precision transport of single neutral cesium atoms over distances of 1 centimeter and the ejection of single atoms into free flight.
Scalable and efficient quantum computation with photonic qubits requires (i) deterministic sources of single photons, (ii) giant nonlinearities capable of entangling pairs of photons, and (iii) reliable single-photon detectors. In addition, an optical quantum computer would need a robust reversible photon storage device. Here we discuss several related techniques, based on the coherent manipulation of atomic ensembles in the regime of electromagnetically induced transparency, that are capable of implementing all of the above prerequisites for deterministic optical quantum computation with single photons.
Modern optical techniques allow one to accurately control light using atoms and to manipulate atoms using light. In this Colloquium the author reviews several ideas indicating how such techniques can be used for accurate manipulation of quantum states of atomic ensembles and photons. First a technique is discussed that allows one to transfer quantum states between light fields and metastable states of matter. The technique is based on trapping quantum states of photons in coherently driven atomic media, in which the group velocity is adiabatically reduced to zero. Next, possible mechanisms are outlined for manipulating quantum states of atomic ensembles. Specifically, a ``dipole blockade'' technique is considered in which optical excitation of mesoscopic samples into Rydberg states can be used to control the state of ensembles at the level of individual quanta. It is also noted that even simple processes involving atom-photon correlations can be used to effectively manipulate the ensemble states. Potentially these techniques can be used for implementation of important concepts from quantum information science.