Strong-coupling quantum optics in free space with holes in a Fermi sea
Abstract
Coherent and efficient light-matter interfaces between an atom and a single mode of the electromagnetic field are essential for quantum technologies. Traditionally, these systems employ optical cavities or waveguides to isolate a specific mode of light, but a more recent approach is to engineer antennas from ordered configurations of trapped ultracold atoms that exhibit controllable and directed scattering. In this work, we propose a method to engineer an antenna from the center-of-mass wavefunction of a single atom, which can produce directed emission and thereby exhibit strong coupling to a target mode of light in free space. We predict that the resulting single-atom cooperativity can be comparable to the current state of the art in optical cavity and waveguide QED experiments. Building on this approach, we show that a wavepacket antenna becomes a single-atom mirror in the linear response regime. We study the modified dipole-dipole interactions and band structure of chains of such emitters, which can exhibit sub- and superradiance at spacings much larger than the wavelength of the light. Extending our approach to multi-level atoms, we propose a method to achieve arbitrary spatial scattering from a single atom, including uni-directional spontaneous emission. Finally, we elucidate how our approach can enhance cooperative scattering in conventional arrays of tightly trapped atoms.
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BibTeX
@misc{wang2026strongcoupling,
title = {{Strong-coupling quantum optics in free space with holes in a Fermi sea}},
author = {Hao Wang and Hayden C. Orth and Duo Xu and Emily J. Davis},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.15935},
eprint = {2609.15935},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15935},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Strong-coupling quantum optics in free space with holes in a Fermi sea
AU - Hao Wang
AU - Hayden C. Orth
AU - Duo Xu
AU - Emily J. Davis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/14
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.15935
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.15935
AB - Coherent and efficient light-matter interfaces between an atom and a single mode of the electromagnetic field are essential for quantum technologies. Traditionally, these systems employ optical cavities or waveguides to isolate a specific mode of light, but a more recent approach is to engineer antennas from ordered configurations of trapped ultracold atoms that exhibit controllable and directed scattering. In this work, we propose a method to engineer an antenna from the center-of-mass wavefunction of a single atom, which can produce directed emission and thereby exhibit strong coupling to a target mode of light in free space. We predict that the resulting single-atom cooperativity can be comparable to the current state of the art in optical cavity and waveguide QED experiments. Building on this approach, we show that a wavepacket antenna becomes a single-atom mirror in the linear response regime. We study the modified dipole-dipole interactions and band structure of chains of such emitters, which can exhibit sub- and superradiance at spacings much larger than the wavelength of the light. Extending our approach to multi-level atoms, we propose a method to achieve arbitrary spatial scattering from a single atom, including uni-directional spontaneous emission. Finally, we elucidate how our approach can enhance cooperative scattering in conventional arrays of tightly trapped atoms.
ER -