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arXiv · 2008.04675

Single-Photon Stored-Light Interferometry

Yuechun Jiao·Nicholas L. R. Spong·Oliver D. W. Hughes·Chloe So·Teodora Ilieva·Kevin J. Weatherill·Charles S. Adams
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Abstract

We demonstrate a single-photon stored-light interferometer, where a photon is stored in a laser-cooled atomic ensemble in the form of a Rydberg polariton with a spatial extent of $10 \times1\times1\mu m^3$. The photon is subject to a Ramsey sequence, i.e. `split' into a superposition of two paths. After a delay of up to 450 ns, the two paths are recombined to give an output dependent on their relative phase. The superposition time of 450 ns is equivalent to a free-space propagation distance of 135 m. We show that the interferometer fringes are sensitive to external fields, and suggest that stored-light interferometry could be useful for localized sensing applications.

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Yuechun Jiao, Nicholas L. R. Spong, Oliver D. W. Hughes, Chloe So, Teodora Ilieva, Kevin J. Weatherill, Charles S. Adams. 2020-08-11. Single-Photon Stored-Light Interferometry. https://doi.org/10.15128/r18k71nh124

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