title: Zero-Area Single-Photon Pulses.
abstract: Broadband single photons are usually considered not to couple efficiently to atomic gases because of the large mismatch in bandwidth. Contrary to this intuitive picture, here we demonstrate that the interaction of ultrashort single photons with a dense resonant atomic sample deeply modifies the temporal shape of their wave packet mode without degrading their nonclassical character, and effectively generates zero-area single-photon pulses. This is a clear signature of strong transient coupling between single broadband (THz-level) light quanta and atoms, with intriguing fundamental implications and possible new applications to the storage of quantum information.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO-CNR), Largo Enrico Fermi 6, 50125 Florence, Italy.|European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS) and Department of Physics, University of Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Engenharia, Centro Universitário UNINOFAPI, 64073-505 Teresina, Piauí, Brazil.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS) and Department of Physics, University of Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pellegrino
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Acioli
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Cassemiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Felinto
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO-CNR), Largo Enrico Fermi 6, 50125 Florence, Italy.|European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS) and Department of Physics, University of Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zavatta
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO-CNR), Largo Enrico Fermi 6, 50125 Florence, Italy.|European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS) and Department of Physics, University of Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellini