Optical $\pi$ Phase Shift Created with a Single-Photon Pulse

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to generate a $$ phase shift between two light pulses using a single-photon pulse and atomic gas, advancing quantum information processing capabilities.

Contribution

The experiment achieves a deterministic $$ phase shift with a single-photon pulse, a key step toward photon-photon quantum gates.

Findings

Successfully generated a $$ phase shift with a single-photon pulse.

Utilized Rydberg blockade and electromagnetically induced transparency.

Measured phase shift through postselection on retrieved photon detection.

Abstract

A deterministic photon-photon quantum-logic gate is a long-standing goal. Building such a gate becomes possible if a light pulse containing only one photon imprints a phase shift of $\pi$ onto another light field. Here we experimentally demonstrate the generation of such a $\pi$ phase shift with a single-photon pulse. A first light pulse containing less than one photon on average is stored in an atomic gas. Rydberg blockade combined with electromagnetically induced transparency creates a phase shift for a second light pulse which propagates through the medium. Postselected on the detection of a retrieved photon from the first pulse, we measure a $\pi$ phase shift of the second pulse. This demonstrates a crucial step toward a photon-photon gate and offers a variety of applications in the field of quantum information processing.