Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AVATURN (Atomic vapor-based turnstile device for single photons)
Reporting period: 2021-07-01 to 2023-06-30
Quantum information science has the potential to significantly improve our modern technologies. In this rapid-growing field, the common ability to encode, communicate and manipulate quantum bits are the necessary condition on the roadmap towards the development of quantum technologies. Due to their weak coupling with the environment, photons can be used as the so-called flying qubits, carrying the quantum information within a device or in between two nodes of a larger-scale quantum network.
As quantum science is developing toward technologies, it is essential to have practical and scalable photon sources that can operate well, outside of laboratories. Until now, it has been particularly demanding to meet the requirement of, simultaneously, having a source emitting a high rate of indistinguishable Fourier-transform limited single photons with wavelengths and linewidths matching those of matter qubits, while being compact and easy to use (= no cooling, no complex system). The current proposal aims at developing a practical atom-based, source of non-classical light devoid of cooling system or ultra-high vacuum. Based on a novel theoretical proposal, our source can generate narrow linewidth in a thermal atomic vapor.
As quantum science is developing toward technologies, it is essential to have practical and scalable photon sources that can operate well, outside of laboratories. Until now, it has been particularly demanding to meet the requirement of, simultaneously, having a source emitting a high rate of indistinguishable Fourier-transform limited single photons with wavelengths and linewidths matching those of matter qubits, while being compact and easy to use (= no cooling, no complex system). The current proposal aims at developing a practical atom-based, source of non-classical light devoid of cooling system or ultra-high vacuum. Based on a novel theoretical proposal, our source can generate narrow linewidth in a thermal atomic vapor.
In this project, we explred a new fundamental concept, nonlinear photon transport, and used it to develop a new type of quantum light source based on the interference between laser light and the scattered light from an atomic ensemble. As one of the main results, we demonstrated this intriguing fundamental quantum interference phenomenon occurring at the single atom scale (Masters et al. Nature Photonics, 2023). We then exploit this interference effect with a large ensemble of hundreds of atoms to create quantum states with tailored photon-statistics (Cordier et al., to be published in Physical Review Letters).
These results are of interest to the broader field of quantum light-matter interaction as they validate a new technique for engineering quantum states of light. This work paves the way for a new generation of quantum light sources that are scalable, operate at room temperature and that are intrinsically compatible with atomic quantum system. In this respect, a source that provides such quantum states could become a key enabling resource for the development of quantum technologies.