Efficient Routing of Single Photons by One Atom and a Microtoroidal Cavity

Takao Aoki, A. S. Parkins, D. J. Alton, C. A. Regal, Barak Dayan, E. Ostby, K. J. Vahala, and H. J. Kimble
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 083601 – Published 27 February 2009

Abstract

Single photons from a coherent input are efficiently redirected to a separate output by way of a fiber-coupled microtoroidal cavity interacting with individual cesium atoms. By operating in an overcoupled regime for the input-output to a tapered fiber, our system functions as a quantum router with high efficiency for photon sorting. Single photons are reflected and excess photons transmitted, as confirmed by observations of photon antibunching (bunching) for the reflected (transmitted) light. Our photon router is robust against large variations of atomic position and input power, with the observed photon antibunching persisting for intracavity photon number 0.03n¯0.7.

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  • Received 8 October 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.083601

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Takao Aoki1,*, A. S. Parkins1,†, D. J. Alton1, C. A. Regal1, Barak Dayan1,‡, E. Ostby2, K. J. Vahala2, and H. J. Kimble1

  • 1Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 2T. J. Watson Laboratory of Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

  • *Permanent addresses: Department of Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, and PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan.
  • Department of Physics, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Department of Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.

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Issue

Vol. 102, Iss. 8 — 27 February 2009

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