Strongly Nonlinear Interaction between Nonclassical Light and a Blockaded Rydberg Atomic Ensemble

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: We investigate the interaction between nonclassical light with a tunable multiphoton component and a highly nonlinear medium based on cold Rydberg atoms. The nonclassical field emitted by a DLCZ quantum memory is stored using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency, experiencing strong nonlinear response due to the dipole blockade. We show that the storage efficiency in the Rydberg ensemble decreases as a function of the multiphoton strength of the input field, as a result of the nonlinearity. We also show that the autocorrelation function g^{(2)}(0) of the retrieved field after storage in the Rydberg state is considerably reduced, leading to the first demonstration of single photon filtering with nonclassical input light. Finally, we develop a simple simulation that allows us to model the effect of our medium on the input state. This work is a step towards matter-mediated photon-photon interactions with nonclassical light.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.053001

Authors: Jan Lowinski, Lukas Heller, Félix Hoffet, Auxiliadora Padrón-Brito, Klara Theophilo, Hugues de Riedmatten

Institutions: Institute of Photonic Sciences, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats

Language: English

Topic: Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Fundación Cellex, Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, European Commission, Generalitat de Catalunya, FUNDACIÓ Privada MIR-PUIG, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

OpenAlex ID: W4391346560