Coherently driving a single quantum two-level system with dichromatic laser pulses
Abstract
The excitation of individual two-level quantum systems using an electromagnetic field is an elementary tool of quantum optics, with widespread applications across quantum technologies. The efficient excitation of a single two-level system usually requires the driving field to be at the same frequency as the transition between the two quantum levels. However, in solid-state implementations, the scattered laser light can dominate over the single photons emitted by the two-level system, imposing a challenge for single-photon sources. Here, we propose a background-free method for the coherent excitation and control of a two-level quantum system using a phase-locked dichromatic electromagnetic field with no spectral overlap with the optical transition. We demonstrate this method experimentally by stimulating single-photon emission from a single quantum dot embedded in a micropillar, reaching single-photon purity of 0.988(1) and indistinguishability of 0.962(6). The phase-coherent nature of our two-colour excitation scheme is demonstrated by the dependence of the resonance fluorescence intensity on the relative phase between the two pulses. Our two-colour excitation method represents an additional and useful tool for the study of atom–photon interaction, and the generation of spectrally isolated indistinguishable single photons.
Citation
He , Y-M , Wang , H , Wang , C , Chen , M-C , Ding , X , Qin , J , Duan , Z-C , Chen , S , Li , J-P , Liu , R-Z , Schneider , C , Atatüre , M , Hoefling , S , Lu , C-Y & Pan , J-W 2019 , ' Coherently driving a single quantum two-level system with dichromatic laser pulses ' , Nature Physics . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0585-6
Publication
Nature Physics
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1745-2473Type
Journal article
Description
Funding: M.A. is supported by an ERC Consolidator Grant PHOENICS (no. 617985), and the EPSRC Quantum Technology Hub NQIT (EP/M013243/1).Collections
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