We describe an approach to optical non-reciprocity that exploits the local helicity of evanescent electric fields in axisymmetric resonators. By interfacing an optical cavity to helicity-sensitive transitions, such as Zeeman levels in a quantum dot, light transmission through a waveguide becomes direction-dependent when the state degeneracy is lifted. Using a linearized quantum master equation, we analyze the configurations that exhibit non-reciprocity, and we show that reasonable parameters from existing cavity QED experiments are sufficient to demonstrate a coherent non-reciprocal optical isolator operating at the level of a single photon.

Last modified

• 04/28/2017

Creator

• Erik J. Lenferink
• Nathaniel P. Stern
• Guohua Wei

DOI

• https://doi.org/10.21985/N28772

Publisher

• Optical Society of America

Keyword

• isolators
• resonators
• coherent optical effects
• polarization-select devices

Date created

• 2014-06-23

Related url

•  https://www.osapublishing.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-22-13-16099

Resource type

• Article

Source

• Optics Express

License

• Attribution 3.0 United States