Unconventional photon blockade in cavity QED with parametric amplification

TL;DR

This paper theoretically explores how parametric amplification can induce unconventional photon blockade in cavity QED systems, identifying optimal conditions for strong antibunching and potential applications in quantum single-photon sources.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for achieving photon blockade via parametric amplification in cavity QED, revealing optimal parameters and configurations for enhanced antibunching.

Findings

Optimal parametric gain and phase for photon blockade

Stronger antibunching with atom-driven configuration

Cavity-atom coupling affects blockade efficiency

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the quantum-interference-induced photon blockade effect in a single two-level atom-cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) system with degenerate parametric amplification. The analytical calculations reveal the optimal parametric gain and phase parameters for achieving optimum unconventional photon blockade conditions. Under the optimal parameter regime, the numerical results of the second-order correlation function demonstrate strong photon antibunching consistent with the analytical results. Furthermore, the numerical results corroborate that coherently driving the atom leads to a stronger photon blockade than a coherently driven cavity with the optimal parameters. We numerically demonstrate that the UPB effect is compromised by a non-zero cavity-atom coupling in the cavity-driven configuration. However, stronger photon antibunching can be attained with a non-zero cavity-atom coupling in the atom-driven configuration. This work may be suitable for experimentally realising a strongly antibunched single-photon source for applications in quantum technology.