Dynamic coupling of cavities to a quantum network is of major interest to distributed quantum information processing schemes based on cavity quantum electrodynamics. This can be achieved by actively tuning a mediating atom-cavity system. In particular, we consider the dynamic coupling between two coupled cavities, each interacting with a two-level atom, realized by tuning one of the atoms. One atom-field system can be controlled to become maximally and minimally coupled with its counterpart, allowing high fidelity excitation confinement, $Q$ switching, and reversible state transport. As an application, we first show that simple tuning can lead to emission of near-Gaussian single-photon pulses that is significantly different from the usual exponential decay in a passive cavity-based system. The influences of cavity loss and atomic spontaneous emission are studied in detailed numerical simulations, showing the practicality of these schemes within the reach of current experimental solid-state technology. We then show that when the technique is employed to an extended coupled-cavity scheme involving a multilevel atom, arbitrary temporal superposition of single photons can be engineered in a deterministic way.

• Received 15 June 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.80.033811