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A new study from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) explores the behavior of photons, the elementary particles of light, as they encounter boundaries where material properties change rapidly over time. This research uncovers remarkable quantum optical phenomena which may enhance quantum technology and paves the road for an exciting nascent field: four-dimensional quantum optics.
Four-dimensional optics is a research area investigating light scattering from structures which change in time and space. It holds immense promise for advancing microwave and optical technologies by enabling functionalities such as frequency conversion, amplification, polarization engineering and asymmetric scattering. That is why it has captured the interest of many researchers across the globe.
Previous years have seen significant strides in this area. For instance, a recent international study published in Nature Photonics and also involving UEF highlights how incorporating optical features like resonances can drastically influence the interaction of electromagnetic fields with time-varying two-dimensional structures, opening exotic possibilities to control light.
Now, building on their previous works in classical optics, the researchers at UEF have extended their investigation to quantum optics. The team has conducted a detailed investigation into quantum light interaction with a material whose macroscopic property changes abruptly in time, creating a single temporal interface between two different media (like the interface between air and water, but in time rather than in space).
Dr Mirmoosa, the lead researcher in this study, explains: “Four-dimensional quantum optics is the next logical step, allowing us to explore the implications of this area for quantum technology. Our research has taken this initial step and now provides a foundational tool for us to examine complex structures, changing in time and space, for uncovering novel quantum optical effects.”
The investigation showed and revealed several intriguing phenomena, including photon-pair creation and annihilation, vacuum state generation and quantum state freezing, all of which may have potential applications in quantum technology.
The researchers acknowledge that this is just the beginning. Four-dimensional quantum optics becomes an emerging field poised to attract significant attention in the near future. For instance, exploring how quantum light fields interact with periodically repeating time interfaces, known as photonic time crystals, is particularly exciting.
Dr Mirmoosa adds: “In our paper, we did not take into account dispersion. Real materials are nonetheless dispersive in nature, meaning that responses have a delay relative to the excitations. To address such an intrinsic feature necessitates the development of a more comprehensive theory.” He continues: “Incorporating dispersion may lead to new possibilities for controlling the quantum states of light, and I am very motivated to explore that.”
The study was published recently in Physical Review Research.
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