RESUMEN
A deterministic source of coherent single photons is an enabling device for quantum information processing. Quantum dots in nanophotonic structures have been employed as excellent sources of single photons with the promise of scaling up towards multiple photons and emitters. It remains a challenge to implement deterministic resonant optical excitation of the quantum dot required for generating coherent single photons, since residual light from the excitation laser should be suppressed without compromising source efficiency and scalability. Here, we present a planar nanophotonic circuit that enables deterministic pulsed resonant excitation of quantum dots using two orthogonal waveguide modes for separating the laser and the emitted photons. We report a coherent and stable single-photon source that simultaneously achieves high-purity (g(2)(0) = 0.020 ± 0.005), high-indistinguishability (V = 96 ± 2%), and >80% coupling efficiency into the waveguide. Such 'plug-and-play' single-photon source can be integrated with on-chip optical networks implementing photonic quantum processors.
RESUMEN
Establishing a highly efficient photon-emitter interface where the intrinsic linewidth broadening is limited solely by spontaneous emission is a key step in quantum optics. It opens a pathway to coherent light-matter interaction for, e.g., the generation of highly indistinguishable photons, few-photon optical nonlinearities, and photon-emitter quantum gates. However, residual broadening mechanisms are ubiquitous and need to be combated. For solid-state emitters charge and nuclear spin noise are of importance, and the influence of photonic nanostructures on the broadening has not been clarified. We present near-lifetime-limited linewidths for quantum dots embedded in nanophotonic waveguides through a resonant transmission experiment. It is found that the scattering of single photons from the quantum dot can be obtained with an extinction of 66 ± 4%, which is limited by the coupling of the quantum dot to the nanostructure rather than the linewidth broadening. This is obtained by embedding the quantum dot in an electrically contacted nanophotonic membrane. A clear pathway to obtaining even larger single-photon extinction is laid out; i.e., the approach enables a fully deterministic and coherent photon-emitter interface in the solid state that is operated at optical frequencies.
RESUMEN
We present a statistical study of the Purcell enhancement of the light emission from quantum dots coupled to Anderson-localized cavities formed in disordered photonic-crystal waveguides. We measure the time-resolved light emission from both single quantum emitters coupled to Anderson-localized cavities and directly from the cavities that are fed by multiple quantum dots. Strongly inhibited and enhanced decay rates are observed relative to the rate of spontaneous emission in a homogeneous medium. From a statistical analysis, we report an average Purcell factor of 4.5 ± 0.4 without applying any spectral tuning. By spectrally tuning individual quantum dots into resonance with Anderson-localized modes, a maximum Purcell factor of 23.8 ± 1.5 is recorded, which is at the onset of the strong-coupling regime. Our data quantify the potential of Anderson-localized cavities for controlling and enhancing the light-matter interaction strength in a photonic-crystal waveguide, which is of relevance for cavity quantum-electrodynamics experiments, efficient energy harvesting and random lasing.
RESUMEN
We have theoretically studied the effect of deterministic temporal control of spontaneous emission in a dynamic optical microcavity. We propose a new paradigm in light emission: we envision an ensemble of two-level emitters in an environment where the local density of optical states is modified on a time scale shorter than the decay time. A rate equation model is developed for the excited state population of two-level emitters in a time-dependent environment in the weak coupling regime in quantum electrodynamics. As a realistic experimental system, we consider emitters in a semiconductor microcavity that is switched by free-carrier excitation. We demonstrate that a short temporal increase of the radiative decay rate depletes the excited state and drastically increases the emission intensity during the switch time. The resulting time-dependent spontaneous emission shows a distribution of photon arrival times that strongly deviates from the usual exponential decay: A deterministic burst of photons is spontaneously emitted during the switch event.
RESUMEN
A statistical theory of the coupling between a quantum emitter and Anderson-localized cavity modes is presented based on a dyadic Green's function formalism. The probability of achieving the strong light-matter coupling regime is extracted for an experimentally realistic system composed of InAs quantum dots embedded in a disordered photonic crystal waveguide. We demonstrate that by engineering the relevant parameters that define the quality of light confinement, i.e., the light localization length and the loss length, strong coupling between a single quantum dot and an Anderson-localized cavity is within experimental reach. As a consequence, confining light by disorder provides a novel platform for quantum electrodynamics experiments.
RESUMEN
A major challenge in quantum optics and quantum information technology is to enhance the interaction between single photons and single quantum emitters. This requires highly engineered optical cavities that are inherently sensitive to fabrication imperfections. We have demonstrated a fundamentally different approach in which disorder is used as a resource rather than a nuisance. We generated strongly confined Anderson-localized cavity modes by deliberately adding disorder to photonic crystal waveguides. The emission rate of a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in the waveguide was enhanced by a factor of 15 on resonance with the Anderson-localized mode, and 94% of the emitted single photons coupled to the mode. Disordered photonic media thus provide an efficient platform for quantum electrodynamics, offering an approach to inherently disorder-robust quantum information devices.
