Emergence of super-Poissonian light from indistinguishable single-photon emitters

Photon indistinguishability constitutes an essential resource in modern physics. At the scale of individual atoms and photons, it is a diverse concept that causes different coherent phenomena. We present the experimental characterization of indistinguishable photons detected in a single mode from a finite and stable ensemble of single-photon emitters: trapped ions. We conclusively observe an increase of second-order correlation and super-Poissonian statistics of these photons with a number of contributing phase-incoherent independent emissions from the atoms, ranging from a single to up to several hundred. This optical emission regime provides insight into the emergence of super-Poissonian light at the atomic scale by photon indistinguishability. It constitutes a unique toolbox for its generation and control at the most microscopic level. (c) 2023 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

This article presents an experimental characterization of indistinguishable photons from a finite and stable ensemble of trapped ions. The study explores the second-order correlation and super-Poissonian statistics of these photons, shedding light on the emergence and control of super-Poissonian light at the atomic scale through photon indistinguishability. This research provides unique insights and tools for generating and manipulating super-Poissonian light at the most microscopic level.