arXiv · 2212.09592
Tailoring photon statistics with an atom-based two-photon interferometer
Abstract
Controlling the photon statistics of light is paramount for quantum science and technologies. Recently, we demonstrated that transmitting resonant laser light past an ensemble of two-level emitters can result in a stream of single photons or excess photon pairs. This transformation is due to quantum interference between the transmitted and incoherently scattered two-photon component. Here, using the dispersion of the atomic medium, we actively control the relative quantum phase between these two components. We thereby realize a tunable two-photon interferometer and observe interference fringes in the normalized photon coincidence rate, varying from antibunching to bunching. Beyond the fundamental insight that the quantum phase between incoherent and coherent light can be tuned and dictates photon statistics, our results lend themselves to the development of novel quantum light sources.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Martin Cordier, Max Schemmer, Philipp Schneeweiss, Jürgen Volz, Arno Rauschenbeutel. 2022-12-19. Tailoring photon statistics with an atom-based two-photon interferometer. https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.09592
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.