Theory of cavity-enhanced spontaneous four wave mixing

Abstract: In this paper we study the generation of photon pairs through the process of spontaneous four wave mixing (SFWM) in a $\chi^{(3)}$ cavity. Our key interest is the generation of photon pairs in a guided-wave configuration - fiber or waveguide - where at least one of the photons in a given pair is matched in frequency and bandwidth to a particular atomic transition, as required for the implementation of photon-atom interfaces. We present expressions, along with plots, for the two-photon joint intensity both in the spectral and temporal domains. We also present expressions for the absolute brightness, along with numerical simulations, and show that the presence of the cavity can result in a flux enhancement relative to an equivalent source without a cavity.