Towards an Engineering Framework for Ultrafast Quantum Nonlinear Optics

Abstract

The advent of dispersion-engineered and highly nonlinear nanophotonics is expected to open up an all-optical path towards the strong-interaction regime of quantum optics by combining high transverse field confinement with ultra-short-pulse operation. Obtaining a full understanding of photon dynamics in such broadband devices, however, poses major challenges in the modeling and simulation of multimode non-Gaussian quantum physics, highlighting the need for sophisticated reduced models that facilitate efficient numerical study while providing useful physical insight. In this manuscript, we review our recent efforts in modeling broadband optical systems at varying levels of abstraction and generality, ranging from multimode extensions of quantum input-output theory for sync-pumped oscillators to the development of numerical methods based on a field-theoretic description of nonlinear waveguides. We expect our work not only to guide ongoing theoretical and experimental efforts towards next-generation quantum devices but also to uncover essential physics of broadband quantum photonics.