A Triggered Source of Single Photons and Photon Pairs

PI: Prof. Saikat Ghosh

Co-PI: Prof. Harshawardhan Wanare

The project proposes to develop a high-brightness triggered source of single photons and photon pairs, using laser cooled ensemble of Rubidium atoms coupled to two optical cavities. A cascaded four-wave mixing scheme is proposed for optically pumped cold atoms to generate on-demand photons together with a fast multi-photon counting system to characterize the source. The key novelty of the project is implementation of a double-cavity system integrated in conjunction with the atomic ensemble to enable operation at extremely low light levels. The two coupled optical cavities will be used to realize an “on-demand” bi-photon source, a still outstanding problem in the field. The high brightness photon source, once developed will be used, in conjunction with a confocal microscope to couple triggered photons to single nano-particles, towards creating an interface between cold atoms and solid-state materials.