Generation of a tripartite photonic state via a double-Λ configuration in a four-level system

Abstract Triphotons have a more abundant energy structure compared to biphotons. Furthermore, as the number of photons increases, excellent properties such as entangled multi-qubit states, high security, flexibility, and information capacity are observed. This leads to a growing demand for multi-body quantum information processing. Here, a method is proposed to generate a three-photon entangled state using a single six-wave mixing process in an atomic ensemble. The research examines the temporal correlation characteristics of the triphoton produced in photon coincidence counting measurements, with a focus on the linear and nonlinear susceptibilities of the six-wave mixing process. These properties primarily depend on the fifth-order nonlinear coupling coefficients responsible for the damping Rabi oscillations and the group delay determined by the longitudinal detuning function. To enhance the nonlinear interaction between the optical field and the atomic ensemble, placing the atomic ensemble in a high-quality cavity and utilizing laser cooling techniques to eliminate the internal Doppler broadening effect in the atomic gas hold promise.