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Photonic Fock states are the most basic quantum states of a radiation field, but arbitrary number states are still difficult to produce. Here we propose to use superradiant atoms in a chiral waveguide to generate multi-photon Fock states deterministically. We calculate the explicit forms of the output quantum photonic states and their correlation functions. We further establish the conditions for the output optical fields to approach the Fock states asymptotically.
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This content will become publicly available on October 1, 2026
Multiphonon Fock state heralding with single-photon detection
Recognized as a potential resource for quantum technologies and a possible test bed for fundamental physics, the control and preparation of nonclassical states of mechanical oscillators have been explored extensively. Within optomechanics, quantum state synthesis can be realized by entangling photonic and phononic degrees of freedom followed by optical detection. Single-photon detection enables one of the most powerful forms of such heralded quantum state preparation, permitting the creation of single-phonon states when applied to conventional cavity optomechanical systems. As the complexity of optomechanical systems increases, single-photon detection may provide heralded access to a larger class of exotic quantum states. Here, we examine the quantum dynamics of optomechanical systems that permit forward Brillouin scattering, where a single-phonon mode mediates transitions between a collection of equally spaced optical resonances. Solving both the Schrodinger equation and the Lindblad master equation for this system, we find that initial states comprised of single photons or weak laser pulses evolve into complex quantum states where the frequency of single-photon states and the phonon occupation number are entangled. Physically, these interactions permit a single photon to scatter to lower frequencies, where phonon excitation occurs for each scattering event. Combining this result with frequency filtering, we show how single-photon detection can herald selected multiphonon Fock states, even in the presence of optical losses. We also present an approach for quantum tomography of the heralded phonon states, which in the form of a state swap from the phononic to photonic domain enables on-demand generation of multiphoton Fock states.
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- PAR ID:
- 10668337
- Publisher / Repository:
- Physical Review Research
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Research
- Volume:
- 7
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 2643-1564
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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