Photonic Bound States and Scattering Resonances in Waveguide QED

Abstract: We study the emergence of two types of two-photon bounds states in waveguides of any chirality. Specifically, we present a systematic way of analytically determining the eigenstates of a system consisting of a waveguide coupled to a partially chiral, infinite array of equidistant two-level emitters. Using an effective Hamiltonian approach, we determine the properties of the two-photon bound states by determining their dispersion relation and internal structure. The bound states come in two varieties, depending on the two-photon momentum and emitter spacing. One of these states is a long-lived true bound state, whereas the other, a scattering resonance, decays in time via coupling to free two-photon states, leading to resonances and corresponding phase shifts in the photon-photon scattering.