Publication Date:
2017-07-05
Description:
Nature Physics 13, 649 (2017). doi:10.1038/nphys4052 Authors: Kevin A. Fischer, Lukas Hanschke, Jakob Wierzbowski, Tobias Simmet, Constantin Dory, Jonathan J. Finley, Jelena Vučković & Kai Müller A two-level atom can generate a strong many-body interaction with light under pulsed excitation. The best known effect is single-photon generation, where a short Gaussian laser pulse is converted into a Lorentzian single-photon wavepacket. However, recent studies suggested that scattering of intense laser fields off a two-level atom may generate oscillations in two-photon emission that come out of phase with the Rabi oscillations, as the power of the pulse increases. Here, we provide an intuitive explanation for these oscillations using a quantum trajectory approach and show how they may preferentially result in emission of two-photon pulses. Experimentally, we observe the signatures of these oscillations by measuring the bunching of photon pulses scattered off a two-level quantum system. Our theory and measurements provide insight into the re-excitation process that plagues on-demand single-photon sources while suggesting the possibility of producing new multi-photon states.
Print ISSN:
1745-2473
Electronic ISSN:
1745-2481
Topics:
Physics
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