A quantum many-body interface between atoms and photons

Scientists have recently developed the ability to make new kinds of matter. Control over both the individual particles (atoms) in the matter and the way in which they interact with each other is now possible, allowing new states of matter to be made with exotic properties. This new level of control allows scientists to build new technologies for science and industry, known as quantum technologies, which are currently being developed in laboratories around the world. In this project, we aim to extend the newfound control over matter to light. Specifically, we aim to develop and demonstrate methods to transfer the new exotic states of matter (atoms) onto the configuration of the particles that make up light. Our approach is to connect each atom to one or many separate light particles. The joint atom and light-particle state will be configured in such a way that subsequent manipulation of the atoms will generate an equivalent manipulation of the light, and vica versa. This interface can provide a new way to generate and manipulate the fundamental particles of light and contribute to enabling a range of new quantum technologies. After developing and testing the new interface, we aim to use it to demonstrate applications in two directions. First, we wish to generate new states of light that would allow for advances in the fields of computing and communications. Second, we will investigate the possibility of using our interface to improve the measurement of electric and magnetic fields.

Scientists have recently developed the ability to make new kinds of matter by engineering it one particle (atom) at a time. The atoms can be individually controlled, as can the way in which they interact with each other, allowing new states of matter to be made with exotic properties. This fundamentally new level of control has allowed scientists to build new kinds of technologies for science and industry, known as 'quantum' technologies, which are currently being developed in laboratories around the world. In this project, we extended the newfound control over matter to light. Specifically, we developed and demonstrated methods to transfer the exotic quantum states of atoms onto the configuration of the particles that make up light. Our approach connected each atom, in a register of stationary trapped atoms, to one or many separate light particles. The joint atom and light-particle state was configured in such a way that subsequent manipulation of the atoms generated an equivalent manipulation of the light, and vice versa. This interface provides a new way to engineer light in terms of its most fundamental properties and contributes to enabling a range of new quantum technologies. After developing and testing the new interface, we used it to demonstrate applications in two directions. First, we generated recently proposed new states of light that allow for advances in the fields of computing and communications. Second, we investigated and showed that our interface could significantly improve the performance of distributed sensors for measuring magnetic and electric fields.