Related papers: The phase shift induced by a single atom in free s…
The interaction of a single-photon wave packet with an initially excited two-level atom in free space is studied in semiclassical and quantum approaches. It is shown that the final state of the field does not contain doubly occupied modes.…
While the phase of a coherent light field can be precisely known, the phase of the individual photons that create this field, considered individually, cannot. Phase changes within single-photon wave packets, however, have observable…
Fundamental optics such as lenses and prisms work by applying phase shifts to incoming light via the refractive index. In these macroscopic devices, many particles each contribute a miniscule phase shift, working together to impose a total…
A class of systems exists in which dissipation, external drive and interactions compete and give rise to non equilibrium phases that would not exist without the drive. There, phase transitions could occur without the breaking of any…
We report on a direct measurement of a phase shift on a weak coherent beam by a single Rb-87 atom in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. A maximum phase shift of about 1 degree is observed experimentally.
We exploit free-space interactions between electron beams and tailored light fields to imprint on-demand phase profiles on the electron wave functions. Through rigorous semiclassical theory involving a quantum description of the electrons,…
Realizing a sensitive photon-number-dependent phase shift on a light beam is required both in classical and quantum photonics. It may lead to new applications for classical and quantum photonics machine learning or pave the way for…
We describe the resonant interaction of an atom with a strongly focused light beam by expanding the field in multipole waves. For a classical field, or when the field is described by a coherent state, we find that both intensity pattern and…
The efficient interaction between single photons and single matter objects in free space is of key importance for quantum technologies. An experimental setup for testing this possibility involves single two-level ion trapped at the focus of…
Well controlled nonlinear interactions between light field pulses and single atoms could be used to implement optical quantum information technologies based on qubits encoded in superpositions of coherent states of light. Here, we…
Atoms coupled to optical fields confined in one and two spatial dimensions in solid state microstructures can experience very large light shifts if the driving frequencies are close to a resonance of the microstructures and an atomic…
The interaction of a five-level atomic system involving electromagnetically induced transparency with four light fields is investigated. Two different light-atom configurations are considered, and their efficiency in generating large…
Any optical quantum information processing machine would be comprised of fully-characterized constituent devices for both single state manipulations and tasks involving the interaction between multiple quantum optical states. Ideally for…
The generation and manipulation of entanglement between isolated particles has precipitated rapid progress in quantum information processing. Entanglement is also known to play an essential role in the optical properties of atomic…
Over the past years, there have been many efforts towards generating interactions between two optical beams so strong that they could be observed at the level of individual photons. Such strong interactions, beyond opening up a new regime…
A coherent electromagnetic field can be described by its amplitude, frequency, and phase. All these properties can influence the interaction between the field and an atom. Here we demonstrate the phase shaping of microwaves that are…
As a contribution to quantum optics in the vicinity of surfaces we study the single atom spontaneous emission in a linear chain of two-level atoms. The electromagnetic field is thereby treated with the help of integro-differential equations…
Atomic ensembles strongly interacting with light constitute rich quantum-optical many-body systems, with the potential for observing cooperative effects and dissipative nonequilibrium phase transitions. We theoretically analyze the…
Atom interferometry relies on the separation and recombination of atom wavepackets. When the two paths overlap perfectly at the end of the interferometer, the phase is insensitive to the atomic velocity distribution. Here, we show that,…
In analogy to transistors in classical electronic circuits, a quantum optical switch is an important element of quantum circuits and quantum networks. Operated at the fundamental limit where a single quantum of light or matter controls…