Quantum nonlinear optics with Rydberg polaritons

Seminar
Speaker
Dr. Ofer Firstenberg
Date
10/12/2014 - 14:00Add to Calendar 2014-12-10 14:00:00 2014-12-10 14:00:00 Quantum nonlinear optics with Rydberg polaritons Realizing and engineering optical non-linearity at the level of single photons is a goal of scientific and technological significance. We obtain strong interactions between propagating photons by coherently coupling them to Rydberg atoms in a cold gas. While slowly traversing the medium, the "Rydberg polaritons” interact via the Van-der-Waals force, owing to their large electric dipole-moment. We are able to vary the dynamics of the two-photon wavefunction from dispersive (Schrodinger-like) to dissipative (diffusion-like) and observe strong bunching, anti-bunching, and a conditional phase-shifts of 1 radian for two individual photons. seminar room on the 9th floor of the Nanobuilding Department of Physics physics.dept@mail.biu.ac.il Asia/Jerusalem public
Place
seminar room on the 9th floor of the Nanobuilding
Abstract

Realizing and engineering optical non-linearity at the level of single
photons is a goal of scientific and technological significance. We obtain
strong interactions between propagating photons by coherently coupling them
to Rydberg atoms in a cold gas. While slowly traversing the medium, the
"Rydberg polaritons” interact via the Van-der-Waals force, owing to their
large electric dipole-moment. We are able to vary the dynamics of the
two-photon wavefunction from dispersive (Schrodinger-like) to dissipative
(diffusion-like) and observe strong bunching, anti-bunching, and a
conditional phase-shifts of 1 radian for two individual photons.

Last Updated Date : 05/12/2022