Quantum reflection of single photons in a cold Rydberg atomic gas

Abstract

We propose and analyze a scheme for realizing the quantum reflection of single photons in a cold Rydberg atomic gas via electromagnetically induced transparency, by which a deep and tunable attractive potential well can be prepared by using stored gate photons. Such a scheme is promising for designing dispersion-type single-photon switches, and may be taken as a quantum device for observing the wave and particle natures of photons simultaneously.