Quantum Light Emission from Waveguide-QED Systems with a Time-Delayed Coherent Feedback

Abstract

To continue developing quantum technologies, such as quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum cryptography, we need reliable sources of quantum states of light. These quantum states of light can come in many forms; single photons, entangled pairs, bunched and anti-bunched light, all have uses in current quantum technologies, but for the best performance, this light must maintain its coherence. Time-delayed coherent feedback is a passive feedback method proposed for waveguide quantum electrodynamic systems to improve their performance and unlock new quantum optical phenomena. Additionally, due to its underlying non-Markovian dynamics, feedback is also an interesting theoretical problem to study. In this thesis, we use a quantum trajectory discretized waveguide (QTDW) model to simulate feedback dynamics and investigate its effects in a variety of applications. Originally proposed by Whalen in 2018, we develop the QTDW model beyond its initial implementation to now calculate quantum correlation functions, output spectra, waiting time distributions, and single photon source figures of merit. First, we present an explanation of quantum trajectory theory which is used to model the time dynamics in the QTDW approach, and discuss feedback in the linear regime to highlight the differences between Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics with coherent feedback. We next present nonlinear spectra and multi-photon effects from coherent feedback highlighting how the typical Mollow triplet is dressed by the feedback to create new resonances in the output field. This is followed by a collaborative theory and experiment work which observed our predicted non-Markovian signatures in the nonlinear output spectrum along with new non-Markovian phenomena in the linear regime. We then investigate how pulse-triggered single photon sources can be improved through the inclusion of a time-delayed coherent feedback, presenting the possible improvement to the performance figures of merit. Lastly, the modeling techniques developed for single photon sources with feedback are used to compare the performance of three new off-resonant driving techniques for on-demand single photon sources. These findings show time-delayed coherent feedback is an excellent degree of control to include in future waveguide quantum electrodynamic systems to unlock better performance and new phenomena in the system under investigation.