Towards quantum state tomography of a single polariton state of an atomic ensemble

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method for creating and characterizing a single polariton state in an atomic ensemble using photon detection and atomic state tomography, supported by experimental and simulation results.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid discrete-continuous variable quantum state processing technique with atomic ensembles, combining photon detection and homodyne measurement.

Findings

Preliminary experimental results show projection noise limited sensitivity.

Simulation confirms feasibility of detecting non-classical, non-Gaussian states.

First demonstration of hybrid quantum state processing in atomic ensembles.

Abstract

We present a proposal and a feasibility study for the creation and quantum state tomography of a single polariton state of an atomic ensemble. The collective non-classical and non-Gaussian state of the ensemble is generated by detection of a single forward scattered photon. The state is subsequently characterized by atomic state tomography performed using strong dispersive light-atoms interaction followed by a homodyne measurement on the transmitted light. The proposal is backed by preliminary experimental results showing projection noise limited sensitivity and a simulation demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed method for detection of a non-classical and non-Gaussian state of the mesoscopic atomic ensemble. This work represents the first attempt of hybrid discrete-continuous variable quantum state processing with atomic ensembles.