Manipulating atom and photon entanglement: from 'thought experiments' to quantum information processing

Composite quantum systems cannot generally be analysed as a juxtaposition of separate entities, each described by its own wave function. They are described instead by a global entangled state. Entanglement appears thus as an essential concept, lying at the heart of quantum physics. At a fundamental level it is closely related to non-locality, quantum measurement, complementarity and decoherence, concepts that the founding fathers of quantum physics have analysed in various 'thought experiments'. At a more applied level, the engineering of entanglement in systems of increasing complexity could in principle open the way to various kinds of fascinating quantum information processing applications (quantum cryptography, teleportation, quantum computation). The study of entanglement has recently evolved as a very competitive field of research, both theoretical and experimental. In quantum optics, entanglement has been studied with twin-photon beams, trapped ions and with atoms and photons in cavities. After a general presentation of the field, I will review recent entanglement experiments performed at Ecole Supérieure with single Rydberg atoms and microwave photons in a box. I will also briefly discuss possible future directions in quantum information physics.