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  • Open Access

Generation and manipulation of photon number wave packets in photonic cavities

L. Nimmesgern1, M. Cygorek2, D. E. Reiter2, and V. M. Axt1

  • 1Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Physik III, Universität Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany
  • 2Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, TU Dortmund, 44221 Dortmund, Germany

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Phys. Rev. B 113, 115415 – Published 13 March, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mpn2-3dgf

Abstract

Quantum emitters inside optical cavities can create not only fixed photon number states but also photon number wave packets, which are states with a finite photon number distribution that oscillates in time. These states emerge when the emitter is driven by an external field while coupled to the cavity. We show that by rapidly changing the driving strength, new wave packets can be generated, allowing multiple packets to coexist and evolve independently. We classify the resulting wave packet behavior into distinct dynamical subclasses between which we choose through the choice of relevant parameters. Based on this understanding, we develop simple and robust protocols to generate a specified number of photon number wave packets on demand. We propose that the rich dynamics can be experimentally investigated by merely measuring the mean photon number.

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Phys. Rev. B 113, 115415– Published 13 March, 2026
  • Received 4 September 2025
  • Revised 4 February 2026
  • Accepted 19 February 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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