We investigate a one-dimensional modified Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard chain of $N$ identical QED cavities with nearest-neighbor photon tunneling and periodic boundary conditions. Each cavity contains an embedded three-level atom which is coupled to a cavity mode and an external classical control field. In the case of two excitations and common large detuning of two Raman-resonant fields, we show the emergence of two different species of dark-polariton bound pairs (DPBPs) that are mutually localized in their relative spatial coordinates. Due to the high degree of controllability, we show the appearance of either one or two DPBPs, having the energies within the energy gaps between three bands of mutually delocalized eigenstates. Interestingly, in a different parameter regime with negatively detuned Raman fields, we find that the ground state of the system is a DPBP which can be utilized for the photon storage, retrieval, and controllable state preparation. Moreover, we propose an experimental realization of our model system.

• Received 29 July 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.93.013835