Quantum nonlinear optics in atomic ensembles 

Ofer Firstenberg (Weizmann Institute of Science)

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ABSTRACT: 

Optical nonlinearities at the few-photon level bring together the fields of quantum optics and nonlinear optics. This regime, so-called quantum nonlinear optics, is described by effective strong interactions between individual photons. We will discuss how this regime is realized in atomic ensembles using Rydberg atoms, how it enables generation of correlated photonic states for quantum computing and metrology, and how it manifests with photons the physics of interacting few-body systems.   

RECOMMENDED PAPERS: 

Peyronel et al, “Quantum nonlinear optics with single photons enabled by strongly interacting atoms”, Nature 488, 57–60 (2012). 

BIO:
Ofer Firstenberg obtained his PhD from the Technion in Israel and worked in the Quantum Technology Laboratory of the Israeli company Rafael, studying quantum memories, sensors, and atomic physics in hot vapor systems. He did his postdoctoral training at Harvard University and at MIT, pursuing photon-photon interactions in ultracold-atom systems. Since 2014, Firstenberg is heading the Light-vs-Matter lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science, which studies quantum nonlinear optics with Rydberg atoms, long-lived quantum memories, and quantum-enhanced sensors.