We discuss the properties of atom-photon bound states in waveguide QED systems consisting of single or multiple atoms coupled strongly to a finite-bandwidth photonic channel. Such bound states are formed by an atom and a localized photonic excitation and represent the continuum analog of the familiar dressed states in single-mode cavity QED. Here we present a detailed analysis of the linear and nonlinear spectral features associated with single-and multiphoton dressed states and show how the formation of bound states affects the waveguide-mediated dipole-dipole interactions between separated atoms. Our results provide both a qualitative and quantitative description of the essential strong-coupling processes in waveguide QED systems, which are currently being developed in the optical and microwave regimes.

Excitation of a bound state in the continuum (BIC) through scattering is problematic since it is by definition uncoupled. Here, we consider a type of dressed BIC and show that it can be excited in a nonlinear system through multi-photon scattering and delayed quantum feedback. The system is a semi-infinite waveguide with linear dispersion coupled to a qubit, in which a single-photon, dressed BIC is known to exist. We show that this BIC can be populated via multi-photon scattering in the non-Markovian regime, where the photon delay time (due to the qubit-mirror distance) is comparable with the qubit's decay. A similar process excites the BIC existing in an infinite waveguide coupled to two distant qubits, thus yielding stationary entanglement between the qubits. This shows, in particular, that single-photon trapping via multi-photon scattering can occur without band-edge effects or cavities, the essential resource being instead the delayed quantum feedback provided by a single mirror or the emitters themselves.

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