%0 Journal Article %J New Journal of Physics %D 2018 %T Optimization of photon storage fidelity in ordered atomic arrays %A M. T. Manzoni %A M. Moreno-Cardoner %A A. Asenjo-Garcia %A J. V. Porto %A Alexey V. Gorshkov %A D. E. Chang %X

A major application for atomic ensembles consists of a quantum memory for light, in which an optical state can be reversibly converted to a collective atomic excitation on demand. There exists a well-known fundamental bound on the storage error, when the ensemble is describable by a continuous medium governed by the Maxwell-Bloch equations. The validity of this model can break down, however, in systems such as dense, ordered atomic arrays, where strong interference in emission can give rise to phenomena such as subradiance and "selective" radiance. Here, we develop a general formalism that finds the maximum storage efficiency for a collection of atoms with discrete, known positions, and a given spatial mode in which an optical field is sent. As an example, we apply this technique to study a finite two-dimensional square array of atoms. We show that such a system enables a storage error that scales with atom number Na like ∼(logNa)2/N2a, and that, remarkably, an array of just 4×4 atoms in principle allows for an efficiency comparable to a disordered ensemble with optical depth of around 600.

%B New Journal of Physics %V 20 %8 2018/08/31 %G eng %U https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.06312 %N 083048 %R https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aadb74 %0 Journal Article %J Physical Review Letters %D 2013 %T Single-photon nonlinear optics with graphene plasmons %A Michael Gullans %A D. E. Chang %A F. H. L. Koppens %A F. J. GarcĂ­a de Abajo %A M. D. Lukin %X We show that it is possible to realize significant nonlinear optical interactions at the few photon level in graphene nanostructures. Our approach takes advantage of the electric field enhancement associated with the strong confinement of graphene plasmons and the large intrinsic nonlinearity of graphene. Such a system could provide a powerful platform for quantum nonlinear optical control of light. As an example, we consider an integrated optical device that exploits this large nonlinearity to realize a single photon switch. %B Physical Review Letters %V 111 %8 2013/12/11 %G eng %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1309.2651v3 %N 24 %! Phys. Rev. Lett. %R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.247401 %0 Journal Article %J Physical Review Letters %D 2012 %T Nanoplasmonic Lattices for Ultracold atoms %A Michael Gullans %A T. Tiecke %A D. E. Chang %A J. Feist %A J. D. Thompson %A J. I. Cirac %A P. Zoller %A M. D. Lukin %X We propose to use sub-wavelength confinement of light associated with the near field of plasmonic systems to create nanoscale optical lattices for ultracold atoms. Our approach combines the unique coherence properties of isolated atoms with the sub-wavelength manipulation and strong light-matter interaction associated with nano-plasmonic systems. It allows one to considerably increase the energy scales in the realization of Hubbard models and to engineer effective long-range interactions in coherent and dissipative many-body dynamics. Realistic imperfections and potential applications are discussed. %B Physical Review Letters %V 109 %8 2012/12/6 %G eng %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.6293v3 %N 23 %! Phys. Rev. Lett. %R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.235309