Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces

Modulating macroscopic parameters of materials in time offers innovative avenues for manipulating electromagnetic waves. Due to such enticing prospects, the general research subject of time-varying systems is expanding today in different branches of electromagnetism and optics. However, compared wit...

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Main Authors: M. S. Mirmoosa, T. Setälä, A. Norrman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2025-01-01
Series:Physical Review Research
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.013120
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author M. S. Mirmoosa
T. Setälä
A. Norrman
author_facet M. S. Mirmoosa
T. Setälä
A. Norrman
author_sort M. S. Mirmoosa
collection DOAJ
description Modulating macroscopic parameters of materials in time offers innovative avenues for manipulating electromagnetic waves. Due to such enticing prospects, the general research subject of time-varying systems is expanding today in different branches of electromagnetism and optics. However, compared with the research efforts and progresses that have taken place in the realm of classical electrodynamics, the quantum aspects of this emerging subject have been less explored. Here, through the lens of quantum optics, we study the scattering of electromagnetic fields from an isotropic and nondispersive material with a suddenly changing refractive index, creating a time interface. We revisit the transformation of the bosonic mode operators and corresponding quantum states due to this interface, governed by the two-mode squeeze operator. Building on this foundation, at the core of the investigation, our analysis focuses on the quantum state engineering and photon statistics of the scattered light. Notably, such an analysis reveals and connects various quantum optical phenomena and opportunities arising from the time interface, including photon-pair production and destruction, photon bunching and antibunching, vacuum generation, quantum state discrimination, and quantum state freezing. To bridge theory and experiment, we propose a possible circuit quantum electrodynamics approach for validating our theoretical predictions. We hope that our work inspires experimental investigations of such quantum state engineering and photon statistics phenomena, as well as further quantum optical explorations of electromagnetic field interaction with photonic time crystals or with dispersive time-varying materials.
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spelling doaj-art-17bfd32f5a8943fe81599ff110ce4e162025-01-31T15:30:58ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Research2643-15642025-01-017101312010.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.013120Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfacesM. S. MirmoosaT. SetäläA. NorrmanModulating macroscopic parameters of materials in time offers innovative avenues for manipulating electromagnetic waves. Due to such enticing prospects, the general research subject of time-varying systems is expanding today in different branches of electromagnetism and optics. However, compared with the research efforts and progresses that have taken place in the realm of classical electrodynamics, the quantum aspects of this emerging subject have been less explored. Here, through the lens of quantum optics, we study the scattering of electromagnetic fields from an isotropic and nondispersive material with a suddenly changing refractive index, creating a time interface. We revisit the transformation of the bosonic mode operators and corresponding quantum states due to this interface, governed by the two-mode squeeze operator. Building on this foundation, at the core of the investigation, our analysis focuses on the quantum state engineering and photon statistics of the scattered light. Notably, such an analysis reveals and connects various quantum optical phenomena and opportunities arising from the time interface, including photon-pair production and destruction, photon bunching and antibunching, vacuum generation, quantum state discrimination, and quantum state freezing. To bridge theory and experiment, we propose a possible circuit quantum electrodynamics approach for validating our theoretical predictions. We hope that our work inspires experimental investigations of such quantum state engineering and photon statistics phenomena, as well as further quantum optical explorations of electromagnetic field interaction with photonic time crystals or with dispersive time-varying materials.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.013120
spellingShingle M. S. Mirmoosa
T. Setälä
A. Norrman
Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
Physical Review Research
title Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
title_full Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
title_fullStr Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
title_full_unstemmed Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
title_short Quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
title_sort quantum state engineering and photon statistics at electromagnetic time interfaces
url http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.013120
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