Ofer Firstenberg
Strong atom-photon interactions on scalable photonic platforms hold significant potential for both atomic and photonic quantum information platforms. In particular, trapping of a single atom on a planar photonic integrated resonator at the…
We study quantum light-matter interfaces based on bilayer atomic arrays in free space, considering interlayer spacings $a_z$ that may deviate from the Bragg-symmetric condition, $a_z\in \mathrm{integer}\times \lambda/2$ with $\lambda$ the…
Measurement time represents a critical bottleneck limiting the operational speed of neutral atom quantum computers, as it cannot be accelerated through parallelization like other quantum operations. We present a protocol for fast…
We present a theoretical study of quantum correlations between interacting photons realized through co-propagating Rydberg polaritons. We show that the spatial evolution of the $n$-photon wavefunction is governed by a multiband dispersion…
We introduce and study coherent polarization self-rotation (CPSR), a two-photon light-matter interaction in dense alkali-metal vapors that enables both narrowband optical spectroscopy of magnetic transitions and coherent coupling between…
Controlling the synchronization of photons from probabilistic quantum sources plays a pivotal role in advancing efficient quantum information processing. We report the realization of a probabilistic entangling gate operating on actively…
Nuclear spins of noble gases exhibit exceptionally long coherence times and can potentially serve as a long-lived storage medium for quantum information. We analyze and compare the performance of two mechanisms for mapping the quantum state…
We present a practical approach for interfacing light with a two-dimensional atomic tweezer array. Typical paraxial fields are poorly matched to the array's multi-diffraction-order radiation pattern, thus severely limiting the interface…
Realizing strong interactions between individual photons is a cornerstone for advancing photonic quantum computing and quantum nonlinear optics. Here, we experimentally demonstrate strong interactions between counter-propagating photons…
Optical quantum memories, which store and preserve the quantum state of photons, rely on a coherent mapping of the photonic state onto matter states that are optically accessible. Here we outline and characterize schemes to map the state of…
Estimation of the phase delay between interferometer arms is the core of transmission phase microscopy. Such phase estimation may exhibit an error below the standard quantum (shot-noise) limit, if the input is an entangled two-mode state,…
We consider quantum light-matter interfaces comprised of multiple layers of two-dimensional atomic arrays, whose lattice spacings exceed the wavelength of light. While the coupling of light to a single layer of such a ``superwavelength"…
We consider the coupling of light, via an optical cavity, to two-dimensional atomic arrays whose lattice spacing exceeds the wavelength of the light. Such 'superwavelength' spacing is typical of optical tweezer arrays. While subwavelength…
Coherent optical memories will likely play an important role in future quantum communication networks. Among the different platforms, memories based on ladder-type orbital transitions in atomic gasses offer high bandwidth ($>100$ MHz),…
Nuclear spins of noble gases can maintain coherence for hours at ambient conditions owing to their extraordinary isolation by the enclosing, complete electronic shells. This isolation, however, impedes the ability to manipulate and control…
Efficient synchronization of single photons that are compatible with narrowband atomic transitions is an outstanding challenge, which could prove essential for photonic quantum information processing. Here we report on the synchronization…
Vortices are a hallmark of topologically nontrivial dynamics in nonlinear physics and arise in a huge variety of systems, from space and atmosphere to condensed matter and quantum gases. In optics, vortices manifest as phase twists of the…
Future optical quantum networks could benefit from single photons that couple well to atoms, for realizing, e.g., quantum memories and deterministic photonic gates. However, the efficient generation of such photons remains a difficult…
This tutorial introduces the theoretical and experimental basics of Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) in thermal alkali vapors. We first introduce a brief phenomenological description of EIT in simple three-level systems of…
All existing heat machines are dissipative open systems. Hence, they cannot operate fully coherently. We propose to replace this conventional thermodynamic paradigm by a completely different one, whereby heat machines are nonlinear coherent…