Exploiting Rydberg Atom Surface Phonon Polariton Coupling for Single Photon Subtraction

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hybrid quantum system combining Rydberg atoms and surface phonon-polaritons to enable the subtraction of individual photons from a light beam, advancing quantum photonic control.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for single-photon subtraction using a superatom coupled to surface phonon-polaritons, leveraging controlled decoherence for state readout.

Findings

Successful absorption of a single photon via Rydberg blockade

Triggered transfer of excitation to a Rydberg atom state

Potential for precise quantum photonic manipulation

Abstract

We investigate a hybrid quantum system that consists of a superatom coupled to a surface phonon-polariton. We apply this hybrid quantum system to subtract individual photons from a beam of light. Rydberg atom blockade is used to attain absorption of a single photon by an atomic microtrap. Surface phonon-polariton coupling to the superatom then triggers the transfer of the excitation to a storage state, a single Rydberg atom. The approach utilizes the interaction between a superatom and a Markovian bath that acts as a controlled decoherence mechanism to irreversibly project the superatom state into a single Rydberg atom state that can be read out.