Photonic quantum transport in a nonlinear optical fiber

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical framework for analyzing quantum photon transport in nonlinear optical fibers, revealing phenomena like single-photon switching and photon bunching or anti-bunching based on interaction types.

Contribution

It introduces a general approach to non-equilibrium quantum transport in finite nonlinear media and applies it to a cold-atom loaded optical fiber system.

Findings

System acts as a single-photon switch with repulsive interactions.

Attractive interactions lead to photon bunching or anti-bunching.

Photon statistics reveal bound state resonances.

Abstract

We theoretically study the transmission of few-photon quantum fields through a strongly nonlinear optical medium. We develop a general approach to investigate non-equilibrium quantum transport of bosonic fields through a finite-size nonlinear medium and apply it to a recently demonstrated experimental system where cold atoms are loaded in a hollow-core optical fiber. We show that when the interaction between photons is effectively repulsive, the system acts as a single-photon switch. In the case of attractive interaction, the system can exhibit either anti-bunching or bunching, associated with the resonant excitation of bound states of photons by the input field. These effects can be observed by probing statistics of photons transmitted through the nonlinear fiber.