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Homodyne Tomography of a Single Photon Retrieved on Demand from a Cavity-Enhanced Cold Atom Memory

Erwan Bimbard, Rajiv Boddeda, Nicolas Vitrant, Andrey Grankin, Valentina Parigi, Jovica Stanojevic, Alexei Ourjoumtsev, and Philippe Grangier
Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 033601 – Published 21 January 2014
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Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate that a nonclassical state prepared in an atomic memory can be efficiently transferred to a single mode of free-propagating light. By retrieving on demand a single excitation from a cold atomic gas, we realize an efficient source of single photons prepared in a pure, fully controlled quantum state. We characterize this source using two detection methods, one based on photon-counting analysis and the second using homodyne tomography to reconstruct the density matrix and Wigner function of the state. The latter technique allows us to completely determine the mode of the retrieved photon in its fine phase and amplitude details and demonstrate its nonclassical field statistics by observing a negative Wigner function. We measure a photon retrieval efficiency up to 82% and an atomic memory coherence time of 900  ns. This setup is very well suited to study interactions between atomic excitations and use them in order to create and manipulate more sophisticated quantum states of light with a high degree of experimental control.

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  • Received 4 October 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.033601

© 2014 American Physical Society

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Pure Photons for Quantum Communications

Published 21 January 2014

Researchers characterize a single-photon source, proving it emits nonclassical states of light that may be useful for quantum communication schemes.

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Authors & Affiliations

Erwan Bimbard*, Rajiv Boddeda, Nicolas Vitrant, Andrey Grankin, Valentina Parigi, Jovica Stanojevic, Alexei Ourjoumtsev, and Philippe Grangier

  • Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d’Optique, CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, 2 avenue Augustin Fresnel, 91127 Palaiseau cedex, France

  • *erwan.bimbard@institutoptique.fr
  • Present address: Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.

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Vol. 112, Iss. 3 — 24 January 2014

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