NSF BSF: Nonlinear Photon Interactions in Cooperative Quantum Optical Systems

NSF BSF：协作量子光学系统中的非线性光子相互作用

基本信息

批准号：
2207972
负责人：
Susanne Yelin
金额：
$ 30万
依托单位：
Harvard University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2207972&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
NSF BSF Nonlinear Photon Interactions

项目摘要

One of the basic building blocks of quantum mechanics and quantum information science is the photon, the smallest possible amount of light. Unfortunately, photons can be made to interact (i.e., "talk to each other") only through matter. The implementation of such single-photon interactions is thus the topic of much fundamental and applied research efforts. Classically, interacting ("nonlinear") single photons constitute the fundamental limit of low-power optical switches, transistors, modulators, etc. On the quantum level, they provide the building blocks for quantum-enhanced technology and the so-called "third quantum revolution." The proposed work suggests 2D ordered arrays of atoms in traps. If these atoms are close enough to each other, they provide excellent effective photon interactions and are highly controllable.This project introduces a novel interaction platform that takes advantage of intrinsically nonlinear quantum media that can enhance single-photon nonlinearities such as cooperative and subradiant systems. Furthermore, adding an impurity to a cooperative 2D array allows light to couple to the medium, introducing a “quantum antenna.” Photons coupling to several such impurities can in this setup interact through the medium even stronger. Further enhancement can be reached through integration of Rydberg levels of the atoms or by additionally modifying the response of the material to display, e.g., a zero index of refraction. The questions that will be answered in this work are: (i) How can nonlinear material help create and harvest nonlinear interactions between photons? (ii) How, conversely, can photons be used to control cooperative materials? (iii) How can one implement these concepts experimentally and what applications are possible? Possible applications include quantum information processing, metrology, and quantum metamaterials, i.e., a class of materials exhibiting inherent quantum material response to light.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

量子力学和量子信息科学的基本组成部分之一是光子，即尽可能小的光量，不幸的是，光子只能通过物质来实现相互作用（即“相互交谈”）。因此，单光子相互作用是许多基础和应用研究工作的主题。传统上，相互作用（“非线性”）单光子构成了低功率光开关、晶体管、调制器等的基本限制。在量子水平上，它们提供了。的构建基块量子增强技术和所谓的“第三次量子革命”。拟议的工作表明，陷阱中的二维有序原子阵列如果这些原子彼此足够接近，它们就会提供出色的有效光子相互作用并且高度可控。引入了一种新颖的相互作用平台，该平台利用本质上非线性的量子介质，可以增强单光子非线性，例如协作和次辐射系统。此外，向协作二维阵列添加杂质可以使光耦合到介质，从而引入“量子天线。”在这种设置中，与几种此类杂质耦合的光子可以通过介质相互作用甚至更强，可以通过原子的里德伯能级的积分或通过另外修改材料的响应来实现，例如，这项工作将回答的问题是：（i）非线性材料如何帮助创建和收获光子之间的非线性相互作用？（ii）相反，光子如何用于控制协作材料？ (iii) 如何通过实验实现这些概念以及可能的应用包括量子信息处理、计量学和量子超材料，即一类对光表现出固有量子材料响应的材料。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命和通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，该项目被认为值得支持。