title: Quantum optics. Quantum dynamics of an electromagnetic mode that cannot contain N photons.
abstract: Electromagnetic modes are instrumental in building quantum machines. In this experiment, we introduce a method to manipulate these modes by effectively controlling their phase space. Preventing access to a single energy level, corresponding to a number of photons N, confined the dynamics of the field to levels 0 to N - 1. Under a resonant drive, the level occupation was found to oscillate in time, similarly to an N-level system. Performing a direct Wigner tomography of the field revealed its nonclassical features, including a Schrödinger cat-like state at half period in the evolution. This fine control of the field in its phase space may enable applications in quantum information and metrology.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Sorbonne Universités, Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bretheau
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Sorbonne Universités, Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campagne-Ibarcq
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Sorbonne Universités, Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flurin
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Sorbonne Universités, Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mallet
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Sorbonne Universités, Université Paris Diderot-Sorbonne Paris Cité, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France. benjamin.huard@ens.fr.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huard