Ultrafast photon-photon interaction in a strongly coupled quantum dot-cavity system

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates ultrafast, controllable photon-photon interactions at the single photon level using a strongly coupled quantum dot-cavity system, enabling all-optical switching with potential quantum information applications.

Contribution

It presents the first demonstration of ultrafast photon-photon interactions mediated by a quantum dot-cavity system at the single photon level.

Findings

Achieved all-optical switching of weak signals with pulsed control beams.

Demonstrated switching between pulsed beams at the single photon level.

Showed strong, controllable interactions in a quantum dot-nanocavity system.

Abstract

We study dynamics of the interaction between two weak light beams mediated by a strongly coupled quantum dot-photonic crystal cavity system. First, we perform all optical switching of a weak continuous-wave signal with a pulsed control beam, and then perform switching between two pulsed beams (40ps pulses) at the single photon level. Our results show that the quantum dot-nanocavity system creates strong, controllable interactions at the single photon level.