We just realized the first single-photon version of a zero-area ultrashort pulse.
Contrary to the common intuition, according to which only “long”, narrow-band photons can efficiently interact with the narrow transitions of gaseous atomic samples, here we demonstrate a clear signature of strong transient coupling between single broadband (THz-level) light quanta and atoms. Apart from the intriguing fundamental implications, we believe that this may open entirely new paths towards the storage and manipulation of quantum information.
See arXiv:1506.00523
