Microcavity System Research Articles

Homodyne detection of coherence and phase shift of a quantum dot in a cavity.

A homodyne measurement technique is demonstrated that enables direct observation of the coherence and phase of light that passed through a coupled quantum dot (QD)-microcavity system, which in turn enables clear identification of coherent and incoherent QD transitions. As an example, we study the effect of power-induced decoherence, where the QD transition saturates and incoherent emission from the excited state dominates at higher power. Further, we show that the same technique allows measurement of the quantum phase shift induced by a single QD in the cavity, which is strongly enhanced by cavity quantum electrodynamics effects.

Photon antibunching from few quantum dots in a cavity

Single quantum dots (QDs) are frequently used as single-photon sources, taking advantage of the final exciton decay in a cascade that produces energetically detuned photons. We propose and analyze a new concept of single-photon source, namely, a few-QD microcavity system driven close to, but below the lasing threshold under strong excitation. Surprisingly, even for two or three QDs inside a cavity, antibunching is observed. To quantify the results, we find that a classification of single-photon emission in terms of antibunching in the autocorrelation function ${g}^{(2)}(0)$ is insufficient and more details of the photon statistics are required. Our investigations are based on a quantum-optical theory that we solve to obtain the density operator for the quantum-mechanical active medium and radiation field.

Two-photon interference from a quantum dot microcavity: Persistent pure dephasing and suppression of time jitter

We demonstrate the emission of highly indistinguishable photons from a quasi-resonantly pumped coupled quantum dot--microcavity system operating in the regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. Changing the sample temperature allows us to vary the quantum dot--cavity detuning, and on spectral resonance we observe a three-fold improvement in the Hong--Ou--Mandel interference visibility, reaching values in excess of 80\%. Our measurements off-resonance allow us to investigate varying Purcell enhancements, and to probe the dephasing environment at different temperatures and energy scales. By comparison with our microscopic model, we are able to identify pure-dephasing and not time-jitter as the dominating source of imperfections in our system.

Analysis of induced-transparency in an original three-order resonator system

For the application requirements of resonant micro-cavity, an original three-ring resonant micro-cavity structure is proposed in this paper. Like electromagnetically induced transparency in an atomic system, the coupled resonator-induced transparency (CRIT) phenomenon in a new optical micro-cavity system is proven experimentally. Up to now, most of the resonators based on CRIT are just in the theoretical exploration stage, and the analysis of the double-ring structure has been relatively common. The CRIT effect of a resonator has a significant relationship with the coupler insertion loss, the ring circumference, and the multiples of the rings, which need high requirements in the structural design and preparation process. In order to reduce the difficulty in design and preparation, we propose a new three-ring cascade resonator structure with the same cavity size on silicon. According to the transfer matrix method and coupled mode theory, we find a CRIT effect after theoretical analysis. Our devices are fabricated on an SOI wafer. By using the micro-cavity measurement platform to repeat and analyze the tests of single ring and three-ring cascade resonator structure, we obtain a grating coupler efficiency of 30%. By applying the antireflection coating, the coupling efficiency of the grating coupler is up to 34%. During the test, the mutual interference between annular cavities of the three-ring resonators produces two transmission peaks, the output spectrum of the resonator with a narrow transparency peak at a low group velocity, which is verified in CRIT phenomenon. Compared with the traditional single-ring structure, the resonator has a quality factor increasing four times, reaching a value of up to 0.65×105, the through and drop transmission spectra of the resonator are reconciled well with each other. At the same time, in order to obtain the sensitivity of the resonator to temperature, we conduct tuning tests of the resonator temperature characteristics, the resonant peak is moved to the large wavelength direction with temperature increasing, and detuning wavelength of the resonance can be controlled by changing temperature, which is called red-shift. Therefore, the original three-ring cascaded resonators have significant applications in the rotation sensing, optical filters, optical storage and temperature sensing elements.

Arrays of open, independently tunable microcavities.

Optical cavities are of central importance in numerous areas of physics, including precision measurement, cavity optomechanics and cavity quantum electrodynamics. The miniaturisation and scaling to large numbers of sites is of interest for many of these applications, in particular for quantum computation and simulation. Here we present the first scaled microcavity system which enables the creation of large numbers of highly uniform, tunable light-matter interfaces using ions, neutral atoms or solid-state qubits. The microcavities are created by means of silicon micro-fabrication, are coupled directly to optical fibres and can be independently tuned to the chosen frequency, paving the way for arbitrarily large networks of optical microcavities.

InGaN/GaN quantum wells for polariton laser diodes: Role of inhomogeneous broadening

Contrary to the case of III-nitride based visible light-emitting diodes for which the inhomogeneous linewidth broadening characteristic of InGaN-based multiple quantum well (MQW) heterostructures does not appear as a detrimental parameter, such a broadening issue can prevent a microcavity (MC) system entering into the strong light-matter coupling regime (SCR). The impact of excitonic disorder in low indium content (x ∼ 0.1) InxGa1–xN/GaN MQW active regions is therefore investigated for the subsequent realization of polariton laser diodes by considering both simulations and optical characterizations. It allows deriving the requirements for such MQWs in terms of absorption, emission linewidth, and Stokes shift. Systematic absorption-like and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy experiments are performed on single and multiple In0.1Ga0.9N/GaN quantum wells (QWs). Micro-PL mappings reveal a low temperature PL linewidth of ∼30 meV, compatible with SCR requirements, for single QWs for which the microscopic origin responsible for this broadening is qualitatively discussed. When stacking several InGaN/GaN QWs, a departure from such a narrow linewidth value and an increase in the Stokes shift are observed. Various possible reasons for this degradation such as inhomogeneous built-in field distribution among the QWs are then identified. An alternative solution for the MC design to achieve the SCR with the InGaN alloy is briefly discussed.

Triply resonant cavity electro-optomechanics at X-band

Optomechanical microcavities with high-frequency mechanical resonances facilitate experimental access to mechanical states with low phonon occupation and also hold promise for practical device applications including compact microwave sources. However, the weak radiation pressure force poses practical limits on achievable amplitudes at super-high frequencies. Here, we demonstrate a piezoelectric force-enhanced microcavity system that simultaneously supports microwave, optical and mechanical resonant modes. The combination of the highly sensitive optical readout and resonantly enhanced strong piezoelectric actuation enables us to build a microwave oscillator with excellent phase noise performance, which pushes the micromechanical signal source into the microwave X-band.

Detection of anyon’s braiding and identification of anyon entangled states in optical microcavities

In this paper, a simulation of anyon states in a composite system of quantum dots and optical microcavities is introduced. We construct a novel quantum gate, the braiding detecting gate (BDG), by making use of interactions between the quantum-dot electron spins in optical microcavities and photons to detect the dynamic braiding operation of anyons. Additionally, by means of the BDGs, we also present a protocol to distinguish different entangled states of anyons.

Construction of a quantum repeater based on a quantum dot in an optical microcavity system

We investigate an efficient quantum repeater protocol based on quantum dots (QDs) and optical microcavity coupled systems. The proposed system can be used for long-distance quantum entanglement distribution, exploiting the interaction between single photons and QDs embedded in optical microcavities. We present the entanglement generation and entanglement swapping modules with QDs in microcavity systems and generalize it to quantum repeaters. The utilization of QDs and coupled cavities leads to a high success probability for the generation of entanglement. By using current and near future technology, entanglement with a high fidelity can be achieved and robust quantum communication over long-distance channels is feasible.

Optical nonlinearity in a quantum dot–microcavity system under an external magnetic field

We theoretically study the dynamics of a strongly coupled quantum dot–bimodal microcavity system under an external magnetic field, where the nondegenerate excitonic spin states caused by the Zeeman effect are coupled to both orthogonal cavity modes. We develop an effective cavity quantum electrodynamics model, demonstrate the polarization-related nonlinear response under a linearly polarized pulse excitation by calculating the time-resolved intracavity photon number, and investigate the dependence of system parameters on the nonlinearity. In addition, we show that, when driven by two pulses with perpendicular polarization and a relative time delay, the coupled system suppresses the delayed one, which can be applied to polarized optical switching at a single-photon level.

Single photon sources with single semiconductor quantum dots

In this contribution, we briefly recall the basic concepts of quantum optics and properties of semiconductor quantum dot (QD) which are necessary to the understanding of the physics of single-photon generation with single QDs. Firstly, we address the theory of quantum emitter-cavity system, the fluorescence and optical properties of semiconductor QDs, and the photon statistics as well as optical properties of the QDs. We then review the localization of single semiconductor QDs in quantum confined optical microcavity systems to achieve their overall optical properties and performances in terms of strong coupling regime, efficiency, directionality, and polarization control. Furthermore, we will discuss the recent progress on the fabrication of single photon sources, and various approaches for embedding single QDs into microcavities or photonic crystal nanocavities and show how to extend the wavelength range. We focus in particular on new generations of electrically driven QD single photon source leading to high repetition rates, strong coupling regime, and high collection efficiencies at elevated temperature operation. Besides, new developments of room temperature single photon emission in the strong coupling regime are reviewed. The generation of indistinguishable photons and remaining challenges for practical single-photon sources are also discussed.

Generation of Multi-electron Entanglement with Quantum-Dot Spins in Double-Sided Optical Microcavity Systems

We propose theoretical schemes to generate n-electron GHZ state, n-electron cluster state, and four-electron |χ〉 state by using quantum-dot spins in double-sided optical microcavities. With single-photon detection and local unitary operations, these entangled states could be deterministically generated. The fidelities of our schemes are also calculated, which illustrate that our schemes have high performance under appropriate parameter conditions.

Quantum Entanglement Concentration Based on Nonlinear Optics for Quantum Communications

Entanglement concentration is of most importance in long distance quantum communication and quantum computation. It is to distill maximally entangled states from pure partially entangled states based on the local operation and classical communication. In this review, we will mainly describe two kinds of entanglement concentration protocols. One is to concentrate the partially entangled Bell-state, and the other is to concentrate the partially entangled W state. Some protocols are feasible in current experimental conditions and suitable for the optical, electric and quantum-dot and optical microcavity systems.

Mapping low-Reynolds-number microcavity flows using microfluidic screening devices

Low-Reynolds-number flows in cavities, characterized by separating and recirculating flows are increasingly used in microfluidic applications such as mixing and sorting of fluids, cells, or particles. However, there is still a lack of guidelines available for selecting the appropriate or optimized microcavity configuration according to the specific task at hand. In an effort to provide accurate design guidelines, we investigate quantitatively low-Reynolds-number cavity flow phenomena using a microfluidic screening platform featuring rectangular channels lined with cylindrical cavities. Using particle image velocimetry (PIV), supported by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, we map the entire spectrum of flows that exist in microcavities over a wide range of low-Reynolds numbers (Re = 0.1, 1, and 10) and dimensionless geometric parameters. Comprehensive phase diagrams of the corresponding microcavity flow regimes are summarized, capturing the gradual transition from attached flow to a single vortex and crossing through two- and three-vortex recirculating systems featuring saddle-points. Finally, we provide design insights into maximizing the rotational frequencies of recirculating single-vortex microcavity systems. Overall, our results provide a complete and quantitative framework for selecting cavities in microfluidic-based microcentrifuges and vortex mixers.

Photon emission from a quantum dot-photonic crystal microcavity system: The role of pumping and cavity decay rates

We present a study of photon emission from a photonic crystal microcavity-quantum dot system. We take into account dissipative and pumping mechanisms consisting of the decay rate of cavity photons with the pumping rates of exciton and cavity. Numerically, we calculate the exciton state in a model quantum dot through the variational approach and photonic crystal microcavity L1 and modified-L1 modes through the GME (guided mode expansion) code, respectively. Second order correlation function of cavity (g(2)(τ)) and populations of photons and exciton have been obtained by using master equation and quantum regression theorem. Detailed investigation of the effect of pumping rates and cavity decay rate on the populations and g(2)(0) has been done in the steady state regime. Results demonstrate that when modified-L1 microcavity and exciton modes are off-resonance, detuning has opposite surprising effects on antibunching effect at different values of pumping rates.

The role of exciton‐photon coupling in the temporal behaviour of a quantum dot‐photonic crystal microcavity system

AbstractHere, we study the dynamics features of an experimentally realized system of InAs/GaAs quantum dot‐photonic crystal microcavity coupling. In our calculation, exciton state and cavity modes are obtained by variational method and open source GME code, respectively. The excitons in QD treated as bosons which corresponds to linear regime. Temporal behavior is characterized by the first and second‐order correlation functions. Results show how the emission represents bunching and strong‐weak coupling cross over, as well (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

On‐Chip Quantum Optics with Quantum Dot Microcavities

A novel concept for on-chip quantum optics using an internal electrically pumped microlaser is presented. The microlaser resonantly excites a quantum dot microcavity system operating in the weak coupling regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. This work presents the first on-chip application of quantum dot microlasers, and also opens up new avenues for the integration of individual microcavity structures into larger photonic networks.

Single quantum dot photocurrent spectroscopy in the cavity quantum electrodynamics regime

We study cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) in coupled quantum dot--microcavity systems under electrical readout. Strict resonant excitation of a target quantum dot (QD) allows us to monitor the photocurrent response of a single emitter in the quantum limit of light-matter interaction. We find a strong anticorrelation between radiative recombination and nonradiative tunnel escape of photoexcited carries which can be controlled by cQED effects in the Purcell regime. In fact, cavity-enhanced radiative emission from a QD results in a weaker photocurrent signal which reflects the cQED controlled competition between radiative and nonradiative recombination at the single emitter level.

Spin-Resolved Purcell Effect in a Quantum Dot Microcavity System

We demonstrate the spin selective coupling of the exciton state with cavity mode in a single quantum dot (QD)-micropillar cavity system. By tuning an external magnetic field, each spin polarized exciton state can be selectively coupled with the cavity mode due to the Zeeman effect. A significant enhancement of spontaneous emission rate of each spin state is achieved, giving rise to a tunable circular polarization degree from -90% to 93%. A four-level rate equation model is developed, and it agrees well with our experimental data. In addition, the coupling between photon mode and each exciton spin state is also achieved by varying temperature, demonstrating the full manipulation over the spin states in the QD-cavity system. Our results pave the way for the realization of future quantum light sources and the quantum information processing applications.

Entanglement dynamics of two electron-spin qubits in a strongly detuned and dissipative quantum-dot-cavity system

We investigate the entanglement dynamics of two electron-spin qubits in the quantum-dot (QD)–microcavity system in the large-detuning limit and subjected to two different noise sources: electron-spin dephasing and relaxation. We show that when one of the two dots is prepared initially in the excited state, the created entanglement exhibits oscillatory behavior at the beginning of evolution and then completely disappears over time. For two QDs that are initially in either the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen-Bell states or the Werner states, their entanglement evolution exhibits the same behavior in the presence of pure dephasing, but is completely different under the relaxation process. We also show that the interdot interaction induced by a single-mode cavity field does not contribute to the dynamics of entanglement for these Bell states and Werner states.