Controlled-NOT gate for manipulating photonic polarization states in a two-mode optical cavity

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 283; no. 18; pp. 3553 - 3556
• Main Authors: Wang, Heng, Yan, Dong, Gao, Jin-Wei, Wang, Rong, Wu, Jin-Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15.09.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cavity QED dynamics; Cavity quantum electrodynamics ; micromasers; Circular polarization; Close-loop four-photon transition; Coherence; Controlled-NOT gate; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Gates; Ground state; Holes; Joining; Optics; Photons; Physics; Polarization; Quantum optics; Controlled-NOT gate; Cavity QED dynamics; Close-loop four-photon transition; NOT circuit; Ground states; Circular polarization; Single photon; Cavity electrodynamics; Photonics; Two photon transition; Quantum electrodynamics; Optical resonators; High field; Intracavity
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2010.04.066

We investigate the coherent interaction between two cavity modes with left or right circular polarizations and a traveling atom in the four-level Y configuration. With large single-photon detunings for both cavity modes and in the presence of a strong classical field, all one-photon and two-photon transitions may be well eliminated so that a close-loop four-photon transition starting from the only populated ground state becomes absolutely dominant. This physical scenario is then exploited to devise an efficient controlled-NOT gate for manipulating polarization states of two intracavity photons. In the Lamb–Dicke limit and in the strong coupling regime, the expected controlled-NOT operation is found to have a rather high gate fidelity and a moderate photon loss.