Exact dynamics of a single-photon emitter in front of a mirror

TL;DR

This paper derives the exact non-Markovian dynamics of a single-photon emitter near a mirror, revealing how environmental factors influence photon emission profiles in nanophotonic structures.

Contribution

It provides an exact solution to the emitter's dynamics using a local-photon approach, highlighting non-Markovian effects and photon profile modifications.

Findings

Emitter decay is non-exponential and becomes exponential in the Markovian limit.

The spatial and spectral profiles of emitted photons are significantly affected by the environment.

Decay dynamics depend on the round-trip time between emitter and mirror.

Abstract

Single-photon emitters in nanophotonic structures are a key building block for many photonic devices with quantum technology applications, like quantum sensors and quantum computers. In this paper, we determine the exact dynamics of a single-photon emitter in a one-dimensional waveguide terminated by a partially-transparent mirror interface, by solving the Schrodinger equation via a local-photon approach. In general, the evolution of the emitter is non-Markovian, characterized by a non-exponential decay profile. The decay can resemble an exponential after a time that is much larger than the emitter-mirror round-trip time and becomes exponential in the Markovian limit, where the round-trip time between the emitter and the mirror is neglected. We also derive the spatial and spectral profile of the emitted photon wave packet and demonstrate how its properties are altered by the environment.