Excitation of two atoms by a propagating single photon pulse

TL;DR

This paper investigates how single-photon pulses with specific shapes can precisely excite two atoms in free space, analyzing the effects of pulse profiles and quantum states on atomic excitation dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a method to determine the optimal pulse shape for controlled excitation of a two-atom system and compares Fock and coherent state pulse effects.

Findings

Optimal pulse shape for single excitation in two atoms identified

Differences in atomic dynamics between Fock and coherent pulses analyzed

Method demonstrated for precise quantum state control in atomic systems

Abstract

We describe the interaction of two two-level atoms in free space with propagating modes of the quantized electromagnetic field, using the time-dependent Heisenberg-Langevin method. For single- photon pulses, we consider the effect of the pulse's spatial and temporal profiles on the atomic excitation. In particular, we find the ideal shape for a pulse to put exactly one excitation in any desired state of the bi-atomic system. Furthermore, we analyze the differences in the atomic dynamics between the cases of Fock state pulses and coherent state pulses.