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A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference
Published on: September 5, 2019
Photon statistics in the cooperative spontaneous emission
Vasily V Temnov1, Ulrike Woggon
1Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. temnov@mit.edu
Optics Express
|April 1, 2009
Summary
Giant photon bunching, a quantum optical phenomenon, was theoretically investigated in small ensembles of two-level systems. This effect, observed in systems with fewer than 10 emitters, offers new spectroscopic possibilities.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Optics
- Atomic Physics
- Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics
Background:
- Investigating photon statistics reveals fundamental quantum properties of light sources.
- Spontaneous emission noise in macroscopic systems can lead to superradiant pulses.
- Understanding light-matter interactions in optical cavities is crucial for quantum technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically investigate the second-order photon correlation function, g((2))(tau), for a small ensemble of two-level systems coupled to an optical cavity.
- To identify and explain the phenomenon of giant photon bunching in systems with a limited number of emitters (N < 10).
- To explore the potential of photon bunching as a spectroscopic tool.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of the second-order photon correlation function g((2))(tau).
- Modeling of a continuously pumped ensemble of N two-level systems coupled to a single-mode optical cavity.
- Analysis of cooperative evolution via dark and bright two-atom states.
Main Results:
- A giant photon bunching phenomenon was theoretically predicted for N < 10 emitters.
- This giant photon bunching acts as a microscopic counterpart to superradiant pulses in larger systems.
- The effect persists even for N = 2, attributed to cooperative evolution and superradiant photon pair emission.
- The photon correlation function g((2))(tau) shows sensitivity to dephasing and detuning.
Conclusions:
- Giant photon bunching is a significant quantum effect observable in small ensembles of emitters.
- This phenomenon provides insights into the microscopic origins of collective quantum phenomena.
- The sensitivity of g((2))(tau) suggests potential applications in photon bunching spectroscopy for probing microscopic properties.
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