Generation of energy-time entangled triphotons in a six-level cold atomic system
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866913047348510720 |
|---|---|
| author | Niu, Ling Duan, Zhiyin Liu, Na Zhai, Yitong Liu, Shaoyan Li, Junsheng Zhang, Donghai Zhang, Da |
| author_facet | Niu, Ling Duan, Zhiyin Liu, Na Zhai, Yitong Liu, Shaoyan Li, Junsheng Zhang, Donghai Zhang, Da |
| contents | Multiphoton entangled states are pivotal resources for implementing optical quantum information protocols. Recently, energy-time-entangled triphotons have been observed in hot atomic ensembles. However, in these protocols, the complex fifth-order nonlinear susceptibility entailed by four- or five-level systems limits our understanding of triphoton generation. Here, to directly capture the generation mechanism of triphotons and their associated optical properties, we investigate the generation of energy-time-entangled triphotons in a six-level cold atomic ensemble. The fifth-order nonlinear susceptibility indicates the existence of two sets of spontaneous six-wave mixing in the system. Notably, triphoton generation in this system is subject to stringent timing constraints. Collectively, these characteristics give rise to threefold coincidence counts, which -- dominated by the fifth-order nonlinear susceptibility -- exhibit asymmetrically damped Rabi oscillations in the two-dimensional time domain. Furthermore, we analytically derive that the temporal correlation properties of conditional two-photon states are preserved -- a unique feature of $W$-class tripartite entanglement. These results not only lay the groundwork for the experimental preparation of triphotons using six-level systems but also provide key support for understanding the generation mechanism of triphotons involving more complex fifth-order nonlinear susceptibilities. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_18110 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Generation of energy-time entangled triphotons in a six-level cold atomic system Niu, Ling Duan, Zhiyin Liu, Na Zhai, Yitong Liu, Shaoyan Li, Junsheng Zhang, Donghai Zhang, Da Quantum Physics Multiphoton entangled states are pivotal resources for implementing optical quantum information protocols. Recently, energy-time-entangled triphotons have been observed in hot atomic ensembles. However, in these protocols, the complex fifth-order nonlinear susceptibility entailed by four- or five-level systems limits our understanding of triphoton generation. Here, to directly capture the generation mechanism of triphotons and their associated optical properties, we investigate the generation of energy-time-entangled triphotons in a six-level cold atomic ensemble. The fifth-order nonlinear susceptibility indicates the existence of two sets of spontaneous six-wave mixing in the system. Notably, triphoton generation in this system is subject to stringent timing constraints. Collectively, these characteristics give rise to threefold coincidence counts, which -- dominated by the fifth-order nonlinear susceptibility -- exhibit asymmetrically damped Rabi oscillations in the two-dimensional time domain. Furthermore, we analytically derive that the temporal correlation properties of conditional two-photon states are preserved -- a unique feature of $W$-class tripartite entanglement. These results not only lay the groundwork for the experimental preparation of triphotons using six-level systems but also provide key support for understanding the generation mechanism of triphotons involving more complex fifth-order nonlinear susceptibilities. |
| title | Generation of energy-time entangled triphotons in a six-level cold atomic system |
| topic | Quantum Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.18110 |