Creating large Fock states and massively squeezed states in optics using systems with nonlinear bound states in the continuum

Significance The quantization of the electromagnetic field leads directly to the existence of quantum mechanical states, called Fock states, with an exact integer number of photons. Despite these fundamental states being long understood, and despite their many potential applications, generating them is largely an open problem. As a result, large Fock states are considered a type of “holy grail” for quantum science and technology. In this work, we predict the existence of an effect in nonlinear optics that enables the deterministic generation of large Fock states at arbitrary frequencies, using standard lasers and nanostructured optical components—which may enable all of the envisaged applications of these elusive states in quantum science and technology.