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Spatiotemporal Single-Photon Airy Bullets
Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 143601 – Published 3 April, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.143601
Abstract
Uninhibited control of the complex spatiotemporal quantum wave function of a single photon has so far remained elusive even though it can dramatically increase the encoding flexibility and thus the information capacity of a photonic quantum link. By fusing temporal waveform generation in an atomic ensemble and spatial single-photon shaping, we hereby demonstrate for the first time complete spatiotemporal control of a propagation invariant Airy single-photon optical bullet. These correlated photons are not only self-accelerating and impervious to spreading as their classical counterparts, but can be concealed and revealed in the presence of strong classical stray light.
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Viewpoint
Shielding Quantum Light in Space and Time
A way to create single photons whose spatiotemporal shapes do not expand during propagation could limit information loss in future photonic quantum technologies.
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