Single photons from a gain medium below threshold

TL;DR

This paper predicts that a nonlinear photonic mode coupled with a gain medium below threshold can produce antibunched single photons, with analytical and numerical results confirming the effect, including under pulsed excitation.

Contribution

It provides analytical solutions for photon antibunching in a gain medium below threshold, demonstrating triggered single-photon generation with accurate theoretical and numerical agreement.

Findings

Antibunching predicted in emission from nonlinear photonic mode below threshold

Analytical solutions match numerical simulations

Pulsed excitation enables triggered single-photon generation

Abstract

The emission from a nonlinear photonic mode coupled weakly to a gain medium operating below threshold is predicted to exhibit antibunching. In the steady state regime, analytical solutions for the relevant observable quantities are found in accurate agreement with exact numerical results. Under pulsed excitation, the unequal time second order correlation function demonstrates the triggered probabilistic generation of single photons well separated in time.