Optical Fock-state generation with large number of photons based on atoms coupled to an optical parametric oscillator

摘要

An optical field with a definite number of photons is very important for quantum metrology and quantum information. Some theoretical protocols for creating such a Fock-state have been proposed, but it is still a big challenge to produce it with a large number photons experimentally. We revisit the system of atoms inside an optical parametric oscillator that was proposed in 1990s, and it is found that for the atom ensemble, the optical Fock-state with an arbitrary number of photons can be generated. Compared to the previous proposals, the scheme presented here is simple and seems physically realizable. The system also provides the possibility to demonstrate the strong interaction between nonclassical light and atoms in a confined space.