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QUANTUM OPTICS

Two are better than one

Nature Physics volume 15, pages 882–883 (2019)Cite this article

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Two-level quantum systems are routinely excited by resonant pump beams. Experiments now show resonant excitation through dichromatic, detuned pumps — providing a coherent control technique that will also aid single-photon emission from solid-state devices.

In the decades following its first demonstration in atomic ensembles, resonance fluorescence has become broadly relevant for studying a variety of individual atomic-like transitions. Exquisite examples include single atom5 and ion6 transitions, as well as single, atomic-like solid-state transitions in organic molecules7, semiconductor quantum dots8 and superconducting circuit elements9. This body of work has formed the foundation of modern quantum optics and seeding non-resonant techniques, such as optical tweezers and stimulated Raman processes, which in turn has impacted research areas ranging from biology to quantum computing.

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Fig. 1: Resonance fluorescence in a quantum dot microcavity.

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  1. Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology, & University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Glenn S. Solomon

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  1. Glenn S. Solomon
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Correspondence to Glenn S. Solomon.

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Solomon, G.S. Two are better than one. Nat. Phys. 15, 882–883 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0566-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0566-9

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