All-optical single photon switching method and device based on Rydberg atom strong interaction effect

Abstract

The invention relates to an all-optical switching technology, in particular to an all-optical single photon switching method and device based on the Rydberg atom strong interaction effect. The method comprises the following steps that a, some alkali metal atoms are added into a single mode fiber medium; b, laser light emitted by a single photon exciting light source is coupled to a single mode fiber; c, laser light emitted by a laser light source is coupled to the single mode fiber, and the light emitted by the laser light source meets the condition of alkali metal Rydberg atom three-level system electromagnetic induced transparency; d, when an optical switch is turned off, the laser light emitted by the laser light source meets the condition of alkali metal atom three-level system electromagnetic induced transparency, and laser light can pass through the single mode fiber to form a path; when the optical switch is turned on, Rydberg atoms are prepared in the fiber medium through the single photon exciting light source, the condition of alkali metal atom three-level system electromagnetic induced transparency is damaged, and the laser light emitted by the laser light source is strongly absorbed by alkali metal atoms to form an open circuit.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to an all-optical switch technology, in particular to an all-optical single-photon switch method and device based on the strong interaction of Rydberg atoms. Background technique [0002] An optical switch is a component that physically switches or logically operates optical signals in an optical transmission line or optical path. At present, traditional mechanical optical switches and new optical switches such as electro-optic switches and acousto-optic switches developed in recent years are widely used. The mechanical optical switch relies on the movement of optical elements to change the optical path to achieve the effect of switching the optical path. The advantage is that the insertion loss is low and it is not affected by polarization and wavelength. The disadvantage is that the switching time is long (generally on the order of ms). The new type of optical switch relies on electro-optic and acousto-optic effects to change t...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The mechanical optical switch relies on the movement of optical elements to change the optical path to achieve the effect of switching the optical path. Its advantage is that the insertion loss is low and it is not affected by polarization and wavelength. The disadvantage is that the switching time is long (generally on the order of ms)

The new type of optical switch relies on electro-optic and acousto-optic effects to change the refractive index of the switch medium to achieve the function of the switch. The advantage of this type of switch is that the switching time is short, and the disadvantage is that the insertion loss is large and the isolation is low.

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