Nonlinear cascaded quantum network with giant emitters

Chiral quantum optics is central to developing scalable quantum networks, yet existing approaches rely predominantly on linear single-photon regimes. It remains unclear how to generate directional multiphotons. Here we show that giant emitters coupled to nonlinear quantum optical baths enable tunable directional correlated photons, revealing a mechanism for multiphoton directional emission. We demonstrate that the propagation phases of correlated photons, together with the coupling phases of giant emitters, can generate destructive interference in one direction while enhancing emission in the opposite direction, making directionality fully tunable. Building on this mechanism, we introduce a nonlinear cascaded quantum network paradigm mediated by “correlated flying qubits”, providing a configurable building block enabling distinct many-body applications beyond linear unidirectional setups. These results reveal a rich landscape for engineering multiphoton propagation and correlations through interference in giant emitter-nonlinear bath architectures, offering pathways for quantum networks and strongly correlated light-matter platforms. Chiral quantum optics is a prerequisite for communication protocols in quantum networks, but current methods are limited to the single-photon regime. The authors demonstrate that multiple giant emitters coupled to a nonlinear waveguide enable tunable multiphoton directional emission via interference, establishing a configurable building block for multiphoton cascaded quantum networks.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Communications Physics
Published
2026-04-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-026-02618-3
Primary Topic
Quantum Information and Cryptography
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Nonlinear cascaded quantum network with giant emitters

Lei Du, Z. Y. Wang, Franco Nori, Anton Frisk Kockum et al.
Communications Physics
Quantum Information and Cryptography
article

Nonlinear cascaded quantum network with giant emitters

Lei Du, Z. Y. Wang, Franco Nori, Anton Frisk Kockum, Tao Liu
article en

Abstract

Chiral quantum optics is central to developing scalable quantum networks, yet existing approaches rely predominantly on linear single-photon regimes. It remains unclear how to generate directional multiphotons. Here we show that giant emitters coupled to nonlinear quantum optical baths enable tunable directional correlated photons, revealing a mechanism for multiphoton directional emission. We demonstrate that the propagation phases of correlated photons, together with the coupling phases of giant emitters, can generate destructive interference in one direction while enhancing emission in the opposite direction, making directionality fully tunable. Building on this mechanism, we introduce a nonlinear cascaded quantum network paradigm mediated by “correlated flying qubits”, providing a configurable building block enabling distinct many-body applications beyond linear unidirectional setups. These results reveal a rich landscape for engineering multiphoton propagation and correlations through interference in giant emitter-nonlinear bath architectures, offering pathways for quantum networks and strongly correlated light-matter platforms. Chiral quantum optics is a prerequisite for communication protocols in quantum networks, but current methods are limited to the single-photon regime. The authors demonstrate that multiple giant emitters coupled to a nonlinear waveguide enable tunable multiphoton directional emission via interference, establishing a configurable building block for multiphoton cascaded quantum networks.

Communications Physics
Northeast Normal University (CN), University of Michigan (US), RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (JP), Chalmers University of Technology (SE), Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN), South China University of Technology (CN)
Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Vetenskapsrådet, Guangdong Provincial Pearl River Talents Program, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Wallenberg Center for Quantum Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Moonshot Research and Development Program
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Quantum Information and Cryptography
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.