Single-photon superradiance in individual caesium lead halide quantum dots.

The brightness of an emitter is ultimately described by Fermi's golden rule, with a radiative rate proportional to its oscillator strength times the local density of photonic states. As the oscillator strength is an intrinsic material property, the quest for ever brighter emission has relied on the local density of photonic states engineering, using dielectric or plasmonic resonators1,2. By contrast, a much less explored avenue is to boost the oscillator strength, and hence the emission rate, using a collective behaviour termed superradiance. Recently, it was proposed3 that the latter can be realized using the giant oscillator-strength transitions of a weakly confined exciton in a quantum well when its coherent motion extends over many unit cells. Here we demonstrate single-photon superradiance in perovskite quantum dots with a sub-100 picosecond radiative decay time, almost as short as the reported exciton coherence time4. The characteristic dependence of radiative rates on the size, composition and temperature of the quantum dot suggests the formation of giant transition dipoles, as confirmed by effective-mass calculations. The results aid in the development of ultrabright, coherent quantum light sources and attest that quantum effects, for example, single-photon emission, persist in nanoparticles ten times larger than the exciton Bohr radius.

Perovskite-type superlattices from lead halide perovskite nanocubes.

Atomically defined assemblies of dye molecules (such as H and J aggregates) have been of interest for more than 80 years because of the emergence of collective phenomena in their optical spectra1-3, their coherent long-range energy transport, their conceptual similarity to natural light-harvesting complexes4,5, and their potential use as light sources and in photovoltaics. Another way of creating versatile and controlled aggregates that exhibit collective phenomena involves the organization of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals into long-range-ordered superlattices6. Caesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals7-9 are promising building blocks for such superlattices, owing to the high oscillator strength of bright triplet excitons10, slow dephasing (coherence times of up to 80 picoseconds) and minimal inhomogeneous broadening of emission lines11,12. So far, only single-component superlattices with simple cubic packing have been devised from these nanocrystals13. Here we present perovskite-type (ABO3) binary and ternary nanocrystal superlattices, created via the shape-directed co-assembly of steric-stabilized, highly luminescent cubic CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (which occupy the B and/or O lattice sites), spherical Fe3O4 or NaGdF4 nanocrystals (A sites) and truncated-cuboid PbS nanocrystals (B sites). These ABO3 superlattices, as well as the binary NaCl and AlB2 superlattice structures that we demonstrate, exhibit a high degree of orientational ordering of the CsPbBr3 nanocubes. They also exhibit superfluorescence-a collective emission that results in a burst of photons with ultrafast radiative decay (22 picoseconds) that could be tailored for use in ultrabright (quantum) light sources. Our work paves the way for further exploration of complex, ordered and functionally useful perovskite mesostructures.

Single-photon nonlinearity at room temperature.

The recent progress in nanotechnology1,2 and single-molecule spectroscopy3-5 paves the way for emergent cost-effective organic quantum optical technologies with potential applications in useful devices operating at ambient conditions. We harness a π-conjugated ladder-type polymer strongly coupled to a microcavity forming hybrid light-matter states, so-called exciton-polaritons, to create exciton-polariton condensates with quantum fluid properties. Obeying Bose statistics, exciton-polaritons exhibit an extreme nonlinearity when undergoing bosonic stimulation6, which we have managed to trigger at the single-photon level, thereby providing an efficient way for all-optical ultrafast control over the macroscopic condensate wavefunction. Here, we utilize stable excitons dressed with high-energy molecular vibrations, allowing for single-photon nonlinear operation at ambient conditions. This opens new horizons for practical implementations like sub-picosecond switching, amplification and all-optical logic at the fundamental quantum limit.

Superfluorescence from lead halide perovskite quantum dot superlattices.

An ensemble of emitters can behave very differently from its individual constituents when they interact coherently via a common light field. After excitation of such an ensemble, collective coupling can give rise to a many-body quantum phenomenon that results in short, intense bursts of light-so-called superfluorescence1. Because this phenomenon requires a fine balance of interactions between the emitters and their decoupling from the environment, together with close identity of the individual emitters, superfluorescence has thus far been observed only in a limited number of systems, such as certain atomic and molecular gases and a few solid-state systems2-7. The generation of superfluorescent light in colloidal nanocrystals (which are bright photonic sources practically suited for optoelectronics8,9) has been precluded by inhomogeneous emission broadening, low oscillator strength, and fast exciton dephasing. Here we show that caesium lead halide (CsPbX3, X = Cl, Br) perovskite nanocrystals10-13 that are self-organized into highly ordered three-dimensional superlattices exhibit key signatures of superfluorescence. These are dynamically red-shifted emission with more than 20-fold accelerated radiative decay, extension of the first-order coherence time by more than a factor of four, photon bunching, and delayed emission pulses with Burnham-Chiao ringing behaviour14 at high excitation density. These mesoscopically extended coherent states could be used to boost the performance of opto-electronic devices15 and enable entangled multi-photon quantum light sources16,17.

Bright triplet excitons in caesium lead halide perovskites.

Nanostructured semiconductors emit light from electronic states known as excitons. For organic materials, Hund's rules state that the lowest-energy exciton is a poorly emitting triplet state. For inorganic semiconductors, similar rules predict an analogue of this triplet state known as the 'dark exciton'. Because dark excitons release photons slowly, hindering emission from inorganic nanostructures, materials that disobey these rules have been sought. However, despite considerable experimental and theoretical efforts, no inorganic semiconductors have been identified in which the lowest exciton is bright. Here we show that the lowest exciton in caesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbX3, with X = Cl, Br or I) involves a highly emissive triplet state. We first use an effective-mass model and group theory to demonstrate the possibility of such a state existing, which can occur when the strong spin-orbit coupling in the conduction band of a perovskite is combined with the Rashba effect. We then apply our model to CsPbX3 nanocrystals, and measure size- and composition-dependent fluorescence at the single-nanocrystal level. The bright triplet character of the lowest exciton explains the anomalous photon-emission rates of these materials, which emit about 20 and 1,000 times faster than any other semiconductor nanocrystal at room and cryogenic temperatures, respectively. The existence of this bright triplet exciton is further confirmed by analysis of the fine structure in low-temperature fluorescence spectra. For semiconductor nanocrystals, which are already used in lighting, lasers and displays, these excitons could lead to materials with brighter emission. More generally, our results provide criteria for identifying other semiconductors that exhibit bright excitons, with potential implications for optoelectronic devices.

Modulated Rashba-Dresselhaus Spin-Orbit Coupling for Topology Control and Analog Simulations.

We show theoretically that Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (RDSOC) in lattices acts as a synthetic gauge field. This allows us to control both the phase and the magnitude of tunneling coefficients between sites, which is the key ingredient to implement topological Hamitonians and spin lattices useful for simulation perpectives. We use liquid crystal based microcavities in which RDSOC can be switched on and off as a model platform. We propose a realistic scheme for implementation of a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain in which the edge states existence can be tuned, and a Harper-Hofstadter model with a tunable contrasted flux for each (pseudo)spin component. We further show that a transverse-field Ising model and classical XY Hamiltonian with tunable parameters can be implemented, opening up prospects for analog physics, simulations, and optimization.

Long Exciton Dephasing Time and Coherent Phonon Coupling in CsPbBr2Cl Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Fully inorganic cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have shown to exhibit outstanding optical properties such as wide spectral tunability, high quantum yield, high oscillator strength as well as blinking-free single photon emission, and low spectral diffusion. Here, we report measurements of the coherent and incoherent exciton dynamics on the 100 fs to 10 ns time scale, determining dephasing and density decay rates in these NCs. The experiments are performed on CsPbBr2Cl NCs using transient resonant three-pulse four-wave mixing (FWM) in heterodyne detection at temperatures ranging from 5 to 50 K. We found a low-temperature exciton dephasing time of 24.5 ± 1.0 ps, inferred from the decay of the photon-echo amplitude at 5 K, corresponding to a homogeneous line width (fwhm) of 54 ± 5 µeV. Furthermore, oscillations in the photon-echo signal on a picosecond time scale are observed and attributed to coherent coupling of the exciton to a quantized phonon mode with 3.45 meV energy.

Room-temperature Bose-Einstein condensation of cavity exciton-polaritons in a polymer.

A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter in which extensive collective coherence leads to intriguing macroscopic quantum phenomena. In crystalline semiconductor microcavities, bosonic quasiparticles, known as exciton-polaritons, can be created through strong coupling between bound electron-hole pairs and the photon field. Recently, a non-equilibrium BEC (ref. ) and superfluidity have been demonstrated in such structures. With organic crystals grown inside dielectric microcavities, signatures of polariton lasing have been observed. However, owing to the deleterious effects of disorder and material imperfection on the condensed phase, only crystalline materials of the highest quality have been used until now. Here we demonstrate non-equilibrium BEC of exciton-polaritons in a polymer-filled microcavity at room temperature. We observe thermalization of polaritons and, above a critical excitation density, clear evidence of condensation at zero in-plane momentum, namely nonlinear behaviour, blueshifted emission and long-range coherence. The key signatures distinguishing the behaviour from conventional photon lasing are presented. As no crystal growth is involved, our approach radically reduces the complexity of experiments to investigate BEC physics and paves the way for a new generation of opto-electronic devices, taking advantage of the processability and flexibility of polymers.

Circularly Polarized Luminescence Without External Magnetic Fields from Individual CsPbBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dots.

Lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs), the latest generation of the colloidal QD family, exhibit outstanding optical properties, which are now exploited as both classical and quantum light sources. Most of their rather exceptional properties are related to the peculiar exciton fine-structure of band-edge states, which can support unique bright triplet excitons. The degeneracy of the bright triplet excitons is lifted with energetic splitting in the order of millielectronvolts, which can be resolved by the photoluminescence (PL) measurements of single QDs at cryogenic temperatures. Each bright exciton fine-structure-state (FSS) exhibits a dominantly linear polarization, in line with several theoretical models based on the sole crystal field, exchange interaction, and shape anisotropy. Here, we show that in addition to a high degree of linear polarization, the individual exciton FSS can exhibit a non-negligible degree of circular polarization even without external magnetic fields by investigating the four Stokes parameters of the exciton fine-structure in individual CsPbBr3 QDs through Stokes polarimetric measurements. We observe a degree of circular polarization up to ∼38%, which could not be detected by using the conventional polarimetric technique. In addition, we found a consistent transition from left- to right-hand circular polarization within the fine-structure triplet manifold, which was observed in magnetic-field-dependent experiments. Our optical investigation provides deeper insights into the nature of the exciton fine structures and thereby drives the yet-incomplete understanding of the unique photophysical properties of this class of QDs for the benefit of future applications in chiral quantum optics.

All-Perovskite Multicomponent Nanocrystal Superlattices.

Nanocrystal superlattices (NC SLs) have long been sought as promising metamaterials, with nanoscale-engineered properties arising from collective and synergistic effects among the constituent building blocks. Lead halide perovskite (LHP) NCs come across as outstanding candidates for SL design, as they demonstrate collective light emission, known as superfluorescence, in single- and multicomponent SLs. Thus far, LHP NCs have only been assembled in single-component SLs or coassembled with dielectric NC building blocks acting solely as spacers between luminescent NCs. Here, we report the formation of multicomponent LHP NC-only SLs, i.e., using only CsPbBr3 NCs of different sizes as building blocks. The structural diversity of the obtained SLs encompasses the ABO6, ABO3, and NaCl structure types, all of which contain orientationally and positionally locked NCs. For the selected model system, the ABO6-type SL, we observed efficient NC coupling and Förster-like energy transfer from strongly confined 5.3 nm CsPbBr3 NCs to weakly confined 17.6 nm CsPbBr3 NCs, along with characteristic superfluorescence features at cryogenic temperatures. Spatiotemporal exciton dynamics measurements reveal that binary SLs exhibit enhanced exciton diffusivity compared to single-component NC assemblies across the entire temperature range (from 5 to 298 K). The observed coherent and incoherent NC coupling and controllable excitonic transport within the solid NC SLs hold promise for applications in quantum optoelectronic devices.

Slotted photonic crystal nanobeam cavity with an ultrahigh quality factor-to-mode volume ratio.

We describe the design, fabrication, and characterization of a 1-dimensional silicon photonic crystal cavity with a quality factor-to-mode volume ratio greater than 10(7), which exceeds the highest previous values by an order of magnitude. The maximum of the electric field is outside the silicon in a void formed by a central slot. An extremely small calculated mode volume of 0.0096 (λvac/n)(3) is achieved through the abrupt change of the electric field in the slot, despite which a high quality factor of 8.2 × 10(5) is predicted by simulation. Quality factors up to 1.4 × 10(5) are measured in actual devices. The observation of pronounced thermo-optic bistability is consistent with the strong confinement of light in these cavities.

Exciton dynamics within the band-edge manifold states: the onset of an acoustic phonon bottleneck.

Exciton dynamics within the band-edge state manifold of CdSe/ZnS and CdSe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been investigated. Low-temperature time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) experiments demonstrate that exciton relaxation is mediated by LO phonons, whereas an acoustic phonon bottleneck is observed for splitting energies lower than the optical phonon energy. This has important implications since the main source affecting exciton dephasing is considered to be a spin-flip process. Our results concur with recent observations of long exciton dephasing times in CdSe/CdS QDs and show a way to engineer nanoparticles with enhanced coherence time, a prerequisite for their use in quantum optical applications.

Structural Diversity in Multicomponent Nanocrystal Superlattices Comprising Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocubes.

Nanocrystal (NC) self-assembly is a versatile platform for materials engineering at the mesoscale. The NC shape anisotropy leads to structures not observed with spherical NCs. This work presents a broad structural diversity in multicomponent, long-range ordered superlattices (SLs) comprising highly luminescent cubic CsPbBr3 NCs (and FAPbBr3 NCs) coassembled with the spherical, truncated cuboid, and disk-shaped NC building blocks. CsPbBr3 nanocubes combined with Fe3O4 or NaGdF4 spheres and truncated cuboid PbS NCs form binary SLs of six structure types with high packing density; namely, AB2, quasi-ternary ABO3, and ABO6 types as well as previously known NaCl, AlB2, and CuAu types. In these structures, nanocubes preserve orientational coherence. Combining nanocubes with large and thick NaGdF4 nanodisks results in the orthorhombic SL resembling CaC2 structure with pairs of CsPbBr3 NCs on one lattice site. Also, we implement two substrate-free methods of SL formation. Oil-in-oil templated assembly results in the formation of binary supraparticles. Self-assembly at the liquid-air interface from the drying solution cast over the glyceryl triacetate as subphase yields extended thin films of SLs. Collective electronic states arise at low temperatures from the dense, periodic packing of NCs, observed as sharp red-shifted bands at 6 K in the photoluminescence and absorption spectra and persisting up to 200 K.

Ultracompact silicon/polymer laser with an absorption-insensitive nanophotonic resonator.

A planar nanophotonic Fabry-Perot-like resonator that can defy strong absorption of about 20 000 cm(-1) in the cavity material is demonstrated. Visible laser emission is observed from two silicon subwavelength-sized high index contrast gratings with embedded polymer gain material. The size of the laser is reduced by an order of magnitude compared to established designs based on photonic bandgap structures. As silicon constitutes the most common carrier for electronics, the cost-efficient integration of compact laser sources for visible wavelengths comes within reach.

Low-loss optical waveguides made with a high-loss material.

For guiding light on a chip, it has been pivotal to use materials and process flows that allow low absorption and scattering. Based on subwavelength gratings, here, we show that it is possible to create broadband, multimode waveguides with very low propagation losses despite using a strongly absorbing material. We perform rigorous coupled-wave analysis and finite-difference time-domain simulations of integrated waveguides that consist of pairs of integrated high-index-contrast gratings. To showcase this concept, we demonstrate guiding of visible light in the wavelength range of 550-650 nm with losses down to 6 dB/cm using silicon gratings that have a material absorption of 13,000 dB/cm at this wavelength and are fabricated with standard silicon photonics technology. This approach allows us to overcome traditional limits of the various established photonics technology platforms with respect to their suitable spectral range and, furthermore, to mitigate situations where absorbing materials, such as highly doped semiconductors, cannot be avoided because of the need for electrical driving, for example, for amplifiers, lasers and modulators.

Monodisperse Long-Chain Sulfobetaine-Capped CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals and Their Superfluorescent Assemblies.

Ligand-capped nanocrystals (NCs) of lead halide perovskites, foremost fully inorganic CsPbX3 NCs, are the latest generation of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots. They offer a set of compelling characteristics-large absorption cross section, as well as narrow, fast, and efficient photoluminescence with long exciton coherence times-rendering them attractive for applications in light-emitting devices and quantum optics. Monodisperse and shape-uniform, broadly size-tunable, scalable, and robust NC samples are paramount for unveiling their basic photophysics, as well as for putting them into use. Thus far, no synthesis method fulfilling all these requirements has been reported. For instance, long-chain zwitterionic ligands impart the most durable surface coating, but at the expense of reduced size uniformity of the as-synthesized colloid. In this work, we demonstrate that size-selective precipitation of CsPbBr3 NCs coated with a long-chain sulfobetaine ligand, namely, 3-(N,N-dimethyloctadecylammonio)-propanesulfonate, yields monodisperse and sizable fractions (>100 mg inorganic mass) with the mean NC size adjustable in the range between 3.5 and 16 nm and emission peak wavelength between 479 and 518 nm. We find that all NCs exhibit an oblate cuboidal shape with the aspect ratio of 1.2 × 1.2 × 1. We present a theoretical model (effective mass/k·p) that accounts for the anisotropic NC shape and describes the size dependence of the first and second excitonic transition in absorption spectra and explains room-temperature exciton lifetimes. We also show that uniform zwitterion-capped NCs readily form long-range ordered superlattices upon solvent evaporation. In comparison to more conventional ligand systems (oleic acid and oleylamine), supercrystals of zwitterion-capped NCs exhibit larger domain sizes and lower mosaicity. Both kinds of supercrystals exhibit superfluorescence at cryogenic temperatures-accelerated collective emission arising from the coherent coupling of the emitting dipoles.

Shape-Directed Co-Assembly of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocubes with Dielectric Nanodisks into Binary Nanocrystal Superlattices.

Self-assembly of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) holds great promise in the multiscale engineering of solid-state materials, whereby atomically engineered NC building blocks are arranged into long-range ordered structures-superlattices (SLs)-with synergistic physical and chemical properties. Thus far, the reports have by far focused on single-component and binary systems of spherical NCs, yielding SLs isostructural with the known atomic lattices. Far greater structural space, beyond the realm of known lattices, is anticipated from combining NCs of various shapes. Here, we report on the co-assembly of steric-stabilized CsPbBr3 nanocubes (5.3 nm) with disk-shaped LaF3 NCs (9.2-28.4 nm in diameter, 1.6 nm in thickness) into binary SLs, yielding six columnar structures with AB, AB2, AB4, and AB6 stoichiometry, not observed before and in our reference experiments with NC systems comprising spheres and disks. This striking effect of the cubic shape is rationalized herein using packing-density calculations. Furthermore, in the systems with comparable dimensions of nanocubes (8.6 nm) and nanodisks (6.5 nm, 9.0 nm, 12.5 nm), other, noncolumnar structures are observed, such as ReO3-type SL, featuring intimate intermixing and face-to-face alignment of disks and cubes, face-centered cubic or simple cubic sublattice of nanocubes, and two or three disks per one lattice site. Lamellar and ReO3-type SLs, employing large 8.6 nm CsPbBr3 NCs, exhibit characteristic features of the collective ultrafast light emission-superfluorescence-originating from the coherent coupling of emission dipoles in the excited state.