title: Cavity-free photon blockade induced by many-body bound states.
abstract: The manipulation of individual, mobile quanta is a key goal of quantum communication; to achieve this, nonlinear phenomena in open systems can play a critical role. We show theoretically that a variety of strong quantum nonlinear phenomena occur in a completely open one-dimensional waveguide coupled to an N-type four-level system. We focus on photon blockade and the creation of single-photon states in the absence of a cavity. Many-body bound states appear due to the strong photon-photon correlation mediated by the four-level system. These bound states cause photon blockade, which can generate a sub-Poissonian single-photon source.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Duke University, P.O. Box 90305, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Huaixiu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: Harold U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Baranger