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Microwave Photonics Systems Based on Whispering-gallery-mode Resonators
Published on: August 5, 2013
Strong photon nonlinearities and photonic mott insulators
Michael J Hartmann1, Martin B Plenio
1Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Imperial College London, 53 Exhibition Road, London SW7 2PG, United Kingdom. m.hartmann@imperial.ac.uk
Physical Review Letters
|October 13, 2007
Summary
We discovered significantly larger photon nonlinearities in electromagnetically induced transparency, enabling strong photon-photon interactions. This breakthrough makes creating a photonic Mott insulator state experimentally feasible.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Condensed matter physics
Background:
- Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) typically exhibits small photon nonlinearities.
- Previous theoretical models underestimated the potential for strong light-matter interactions in EIT systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify photon nonlinearities in EIT systems.
- To explore the potential applications of enhanced nonlinearities for novel quantum phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of photon nonlinearities within EIT frameworks.
- Modeling of photon-photon interactions in coupled ultrahigh-Q microcavities.
Main Results:
- Photon nonlinearities in EIT were found to be at least one order of magnitude larger than previously predicted.
- These enhanced nonlinearities facilitate strong photon-photon interactions.
Conclusions:
- The findings open new avenues for controlling light with light.
- Experimental realization of a photonic Mott insulator state is now feasible using coupled ultrahigh-Q microcavities.
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