Detecting two photons with one molecule

Abstract

We apply input-output theory with quantum pulses [AH Kiilerich, K Mølmer, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 123}, 123604 (2019)] to a model of a new type of two-photon detector consisting of one molecule that can detect two photons arriving sequentially in time. The underlying process is distinct from the usual two-photon absorption process where two photons arriving simultaneously and with frequencies adding up to the resonance frequency are absorbed by a single molecule in one quantum jump. Our detector model includes a Hamiltonian description of the amplification process necessary to convert the microscopic change in the single molecule to a macroscopic signal.

14 pages, 9 figures, minor changes in response to referee comments. To appear in Phys. Rev. A

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