Voigt Exceptional Points in an Anisotropic ZnO-Based Planar Microcavity: Square-Root Topology, Polarization Vortices, and Circularity.

Voigt points represent propagation directions in anisotropic crystals along which optical modes degenerate, leading to a single circularly polarized eigenmode. They are a particular class of exceptional points. Here, we report the fabrication and characterization of a dielectric, anisotropic optical microcavity based on nonpolar ZnO that implements a non-Hermitian system and mimics the behavior of Voigt points in natural crystals. We prove the exceptional-point nature by monitoring the complex-square-root topology of the mode eigenenergies (real and imaginary parts) around the Voigt points. Polarization state analysis shows that these artificially engineered Voigt points behave as vortex cores for the linear polarization and sustain chiral modes. Our findings apply to any planar microcavity with broken cylindrical symmetry and, thus, pave the way for exploiting exceptional points in widespread optoelectronic devices such as vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and resonant cavity light emitting diodes.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Coherent Polariton Modes in ZnO Microwire Cavities at Room Temperature.

Tunable waveguides for propagating coherent quantum states are demanded for future applications in quantum information technology and optical data processing. We present coherent whispering gallery mode polariton states in ZnO-based hexagonal microwires at room temperature. We observed their propagation over the field of view of about 20 µm by picosecond time-resolved real space imaging using a streak camera. Spatial coherence was proven by time integrated Michelson interferometry superimposing the inverted spatial emission pattern with its original one. We furthermore show that the real and momentum space evolution of the coherent states can not only be described by the commonly used model developed for ballistically propagating Bose-Einstein condensates based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation but equivalently by classical ray optics considering a spatially varying particle density dependent refractive index of the cavity material, not yet considered in literature so far. By changing the excitation spot size, the refractive index gradient and thus the propagation velocity is changed.

Dynamical Tuning of Nanowire Lasing Spectra.

Realizing visionary concepts of integrated photonic circuits, nanospectroscopy, and nanosensing will tremendously benefit from dynamically tunable coherent light sources with lateral dimensions on the subwavelength scale. Therefore, we demonstrate an individual nanowire laser based device which can be gradually tuned by reversible length changes of the nanowire such that uniaxial tensile stress is applied to the respective semiconductor gain material. By straining the device, the spontaneous excitonic emission of the nanowire shifts to lower energies caused by the bandgap reduction of the semiconductor. Moreover, the optical gain spectrum of the nanolaser can be precisely strain-tuned in the high excitation regime. The tuning of the emission does not affect the laser threshold of the device, which is very beneficial for practical applications. The applied length change furthermore adjusts the laser resonances inducing a redshift of the longitudinal modes. Thus, this concept of gradually and dynamically tunable nanolasers enables controlling and modulating the coherent emission on the nanoscale without changing macroscopic ambient conditions. This concept holds therefore huge impact on nanophotonic switches and photonic circuit technology.

Raman Tensor Formalism for Optically Anisotropic Crystals.

We present a formalism for calculating the Raman scattering intensity dependent on the polarization configuration for optically anisotropic crystals. It can be applied to crystals of arbitrary orientation and crystal symmetry measured in normal incidence backscattering geometry. The classical Raman tensor formalism cannot be used for optically anisotropic materials due to birefringence causing the polarization within the crystal to be depth dependent. We show that in the limit of averaging over a sufficiently large scattering depth, the observed Raman intensities converge and can be described by an effective Raman tensor given here. Full agreement with experimental results for uniaxial and biaxial crystals is demonstrated.

Carrier density driven lasing dynamics in ZnO nanowires.

We report on the temporal lasing dynamics of high quality ZnO nanowires using the time-resolved micro-photoluminescence technique. The temperature dependence of the lasing characteristics and of the corresponding decay constants demonstrate the formation of an electron-hole plasma to be the underlying gain mechanism in the considered temperature range from 10 K to 300 K. We found that the temperature-dependent emission onset-time ([Formula: see text]) strongly depends on the excitation power and becomes smallest in the lasing regime, with values below 5 ps. Furthermore, the observed red shift of the dominating lasing modes in time is qualitatively discussed in terms of the carrier density induced change of the refractive index dispersion after the excitation laser pulse. This theory is supported by extending an existing model for the calculation of the carrier density dependent complex refractive index for different temperatures. This model coincides with the experimental observations and reliably describes the evolution of the refractive index after the excitation laser pulse.

Broadband femtosecond spectroscopic ellipsometry.

We present a setup for time-resolved spectroscopic ellipsometry in a pump-probe scheme using femtosecond laser pulses. As a probe, the system deploys supercontinuum white light pulses that are delayed with respect to single-wavelength pump pulses. A polarizer-sample-compensator-analyzer configuration allows ellipsometric measurements by scanning the compensator azimuthal angle. The transient ellipsometric parameters are obtained from a series of reflectance-difference spectra that are measured for various pump-probe delays and polarization (compensator) settings. The setup is capable of performing time-resolved spectroscopic ellipsometry from the near-infrared through the visible to the near-ultraviolet spectral range at 1.3 eV-3.6 eV. The temporal resolution is on the order of 100 fs within a delay range of more than 5 ns. We analyze and discuss critical aspects such as fluctuations of the probe pulses and imperfections of the polarization optics and present strategies deployed for circumventing related issues.

Raman tensor elements of ß-Ga2O3.

The Raman spectrum and particularly the Raman scattering intensities of monoclinic ß-Ga2O3 are investigated by experiment and theory. The low symmetry of ß-Ga2O3 results in a complex dependence of the Raman intensity for the individual phonon modes on the scattering geometry which is additionally affected by birefringence. We measured the Raman spectra in dependence on the polarization direction for backscattering on three crystallographic planes of ß-Ga2O3 and modelled these dependencies using a modified Raman tensor formalism which takes birefringence into account. The spectral position of all 15 Raman active phonon modes and the Raman tensor elements of 13 modes were determined and are compared to results from ab-initio calculations.

Inhibition and enhancement of the spontaneous emission of quantum dots in micropillar cavities with radial-distributed Bragg reflectors.

We present a micropillar cavity where nondesired radial emission is inhibited. The photonic confinement in such a structure is improved by implementation of an additional concentric radial-distributed Bragg reflector. Such a reflector increases the reflectivity in all directions perpendicular to the micropillar axis from a typical value of 15-31% to above 98%. An inhibition of the spontaneous emission of off-resonant excitonic states of quantum dots embedded in the microcavity is revealed by time-resolved experiments. It proves a decreased density of photonic states related to unwanted radial leakage of photons out of the micropillar. For on-resonance conditions, we find that the dot emission rate is increased, evidencing the Purcell enhancement of spontaneous emission. The proposed design can increase the efficiency of single-photon sources and bring to micropillar cavities the functionalities based on lengthened decay times.