Correlation spectroscopy with single photons
Correlation spectroscopy with single photons
ICFO in Nature Physics
Researchers led by Prof. Jürgen Eschner present
an important step towards networked quantum information processing and communication.
October 24, 2010
The paper titled ‘Heralded single-photon absorption by a single atom’ has been published by ICFO researchers Dr. Nicolas Piro, Dr. Felix Rohde, Dr. Carsten Schuck, Dr. Marc Almendros, PhD student Jan Huwer, Dr. Joyee Ghosh, Dr. Albrecht Haase, Dr. Markus Hennrich, and Dr. Francois Dubin all led by Prof. Jürgen Eschner.
The authors demonstrate the interaction of a single trapped ion with photons from an entangled-pair source: the absorption of one of the photons induces a quantum jump in the ion, while being heralded by the detection of the partner photon; the non-classical temporal correlation of the photon pair is carried over into the absorption process. This first demonstration has great potential for the development of tools in quantum information technology, for example for transferring photon entanglement into entanglement of distant atoms by controlled absorption.
The authors demonstrate the interaction of a single trapped ion with photons from an entangled-pair source: the absorption of one of the photons induces a quantum jump in the ion, while being heralded by the detection of the partner photon; the non-classical temporal correlation of the photon pair is carried over into the absorption process. This first demonstration has great potential for the development of tools in quantum information technology, for example for transferring photon entanglement into entanglement of distant atoms by controlled absorption.