Neutral atoms are ideal objects for the deterministic processing of quantum information. Entanglement operations have been performed by photon exchange or controlled collisions. Atom-photon interfaces were realized with single atoms in free space or strongly coupled to an optical cavity. A long standing challenge with neutral atoms, however, is to overcome the limited observation time. Without exception, quantum effects appeared only after ensemble averaging. Here we report on a single-photon source with one-and-only-one atom quasi permanently coupled to a high-finesse cavity. Quasi permanent refers to our ability to keep the atom long enough to, first, quantify the photon-emission statistics and, second, guarantee the subsequent performance as a single-photon server delivering up to 300,000 photons for up to 30 seconds. This is achieved by a unique combination of single-photon generation and atom cooling. Our scheme brings truly deterministic protocols of quantum information science with light and matter within reach.
A neutral atom interacting with a single mode of a high finesse cavity provides an opportunity to study uncharted quantum mechanical systems and to explore the field of quantum computing and networking. Ranging from being a deterministic single photon source to a coherent storage unit for quantum information, a strong coupling cavity QED system has proven to be a powerful tool. In this thesis, single atoms are deterministically delivered over long distances and probed in an optical cavity. Once in the cavity, a single atom is stored and continuously observed for over 15 seconds. Progress towards using atoms in the cavity to produce entangled photon pairs is presented. Dual 1D optical lattices are implemented to create a foundation for advancements in two qubit quantum operations and entanglements.
A single atom strongly coupled to a high-finesse optical-cavity is a versatile tool for quantum information processing. Utilized as a single-photon source, it allows one to generate single photons very efficiently in a well defined spatio-temporal mode. In a first experiment, polarization-control over the photons is shown. A time-resolved two-photon interference experiment proves the indistinguishability of these photons - required in various quantum information processing schemes. Moreover, in a second experiment, entanglement between the polarization of the emitted photon and the population of the atomic Zeeman levels is created. Subsequent state mapping of the atomic state onto another photon results in a pair of polarization-entangled photons emitted one after the other from the cavity. Although these schemes are in principle possible in free space, the cavity boosts the efficiency by several orders of magnitude.
Deterministic single-photon sources are indispensable core devices for quantum information technology, yet high-performance implementation remains a long-standing bottleneck for linear optical quantum computing. We propose a feasible scheme for deterministic single-photon emission based on a
△-type three-level atom coupled to a single-mode cavity, driven by two classical external fields, which is adaptable to both strong and ultrastrong cavity-atom coupling regimes. Under continuous-wave driving, the system achieves excellent single-photon characteristics: the normalized equal-time second-order correlation function reaches
g(2)(0)∼10−6, with a photon indistinguishability of
98.73% and a state purity of
99.95% in the strong coupling regime, while the ultrastrong coupling regime further suppresses
G(2)(0)∼10−8, yielding an indistinguishability of
99.10% and a purity of
99.99%. For pulsed driving in the ultrastrong coupling regime, the source realizes superior performance, with an emission efficiency, indistinguishability, and purity of
99.96%,
98.98%, and
99.99% under resonant conditions, and
100%,
95.91%, and
99.93% under detuned conditions, respectively. The near-ideal optical performance of the proposed scheme provides a viable route for constructing high-quality deterministic single-photon sources, which offers a promising solution to the limitations of conventional single-photon devices and facilitates the further development of quantum information science and fundamental quantum optical research.
Quantum physics allows a new approach to information processing. A grand challenge is the realization of a quantum network for long-distance quantum communication and large-scale quantum simulation. This paper highlights a first implementation of an elementary quantum network with two fibre-linked high-finesse optical resonators, each containing a single quasi-permanently trapped atom as a stationary quantum node. Reversible quantum state transfer between the two atoms and entanglement of the two atoms are achieved by the controlled exchange of a time-symmetric single photon. This approach to quantum networking is efficient and offers a clear perspective for scalability. It allows for arbitrary topologies and features controlled connectivity as well as, in principle, infinite-range interactions. Our system constitutes the largest man-made material quantum system to date and is an ideal test bed for fundamental investigations, e.g. quantum non-locality.