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Antibunched photons emitted by a quantum point contact out of equilibrium.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>23/08/2004
<mark>Journal</mark>Physical review letters
Issue number9
Volume93
Pages (from-to)096801
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Motivated by the experimental search for "GHz nonclassical light," we identify the conditions under which current fluctuations in a narrow constriction generate sub-Poissonian radiation. Antibunched electrons generically produce bunched photons, because the same photon mode can be populated by electrons decaying independently from a range of initial energies. Photon antibunching becomes possible at frequencies close to the applied voltage V�e/, when the initial energy range of a decaying electron is restricted. The condition for photon antibunching in a narrow frequency interval below eV/hbar reads SUM_n[Tn(1�Tn)]2<2[SUM_n Tn(1�Tn)]2, with Tn an eigenvalue of the transmission matrix. This condition is satisfied in a quantum point contact, where only a single Tn differs from 0 or 1. The photon statistics is then a superposition of binomial distributions.