Two photons on an atomic beam-splitter: nonlinear scattering and induced correlations

TL;DR

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of two-photon scattering on a two-level atom in a waveguide, revealing how atomic saturation induces effective photon interactions and correlations, with implications for quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed dynamical model of two-photon scattering on a two-level atom, linking atomic saturation to photon interactions and exploring the system's integrability.

Findings

Atomic saturation correlates with effective photon interactions.

The system exhibits specific photon correlation patterns.

Theoretical framework describes scattering at any time.

Abstract

Optical emitters strongly coupled to photons propagating in one-dimensional waveguides are a promising platform for optical quantum information processing. Here, we present a theoretical study of the scattering of two indistinguishable photons on a single two-level atom in a Hong-Ou-Mandel set-up. By computing the dynamics, we can describe the system at any time of the scattering event. This allows us to highlight the one-to-one correspondence between the saturation of the atom and the effective interaction induced between the photons. Furthermore, we discuss the integrability of the atomic beamsplitter and provide an intuitive picture for the correlations observed between the outgoing photons.