In this work, a model to study the coupling between a semiconductor qubit and two time-dependent electric fields is developed. By using it in the resonantly monochromatic double dressing regime, control of the local density of optical states is theoretically and numerically demonstrated for a strongly confined exciton. Drastic changes in the allowed energy transitions, yielding tunable broadening of the optically active frequency ranges, are observed in the simulated emission spectra. The presented results are in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with recent experimental observations.
In this work, a model to study the coupling between a semiconductor qubit and two time-dependent electric fields is developed. By using it in the resonantly monochromatic double dressing regime, control of the local density of optical states is theoretically and numerically demonstrated for a strongly confined exciton. Drastic changes in the allowed energy transitions, yielding tunable broadening of the optically active frequency ranges, are observed in the simulated emission spectra. The presented results are in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with recent experimental observations.
In this work, the emission properties of double quantum dots driven by an intense monochromatic electromagnetic field, while undergoing resonant tunnelling, are investigated. We find the optically active energy transitions and their corresponding emission intensity, and compute resonance fluorescence spectra for different detunings between the direct and indirect exciton energies. The simulated emission exhibit either three, five, or seven peaks, tunable on demand. On the basis of the obtained results, our proposal offers efficient control of the resonance fluorescence of an artificial molecule, suitable for optoelectronic applications.
We demonstrate the simultaneous dressing of both vacuum-to-exciton and exciton-to-biexciton transitions of a single semiconductor quantum dot in a high-Q micropillar cavity, using photoluminescence spectroscopy. Resonant two-photon excitation of the biexciton is achieved by spectrally tuning the quantum dot emission with respect to the cavity mode. The cavity couples to both transitions and amplifies the Rabi frequency of the likewise resonant continuous wave laser, driving the transitions. We observe strong-field splitting of the emission lines, which depend on the driving Rabi field amplitude and the cavity-laser detuning. A dressed state theory of a driven 4-level atom correctly predicts the distinct spectral transitions observed in the emission spectrum, and a detailed description of the emission spectra is further provided through a polaron master equation approach which accounts for cavity coupling and acoustic phonon interactions of the semiconductor medium.
We investigate theoretically coherent control of optical absorption and emission (optical gain) in semiconductor double wells by use of two coherent light sources. Our analysis is based on a microscopic theory of optical excitation in semiconductors which accounts for many-body effects. Specifically, we show that electron–hole pair (exciton) formation in an asymmetric double well can be controlled by intensity and phase of a dc microwave (MW) field if the pulse duration lies below the MW-induced Rabi period. Similarly, resonant MW fields are shown to allow control of intersubband absorption and emission spectra of semiconductor heterostructures.
Chapter 1 IntroductionUltimate inhibition of spontaneous emission can be achieved in artificial periodic structures with tailor-made forbidden frequency bands [5].These periodic structures known as photonic crystals consist of different dielectric materials, where the index of refraction varies on length scales comparable to the wavelength of light.Therefore, the periodicity of photonic crystals is about 1000 times as large as that of atomic crystals.Light with specific frequencies is forbidden to propagate along certain directions by wave interference, similarly to Bragg diffraction of x-rays in atomic crystals.Such forbidden frequency ranges are called stopgaps.The larger the contrast of the refractive index between the two materials of a photonic crystal, the more strongly light is influenced, and the broader the stopgaps become.It was predicted in 1987 that an extreme situation may be feasible when light cannot propagate along any direction [6, 7].This situation is called a photonic bandgap.Spontaneous emission is completely inhibited for frequencies inside such a bandgap and, conversely, strongly enhanced for frequencies outside the bandgap.Photonic crystals, therefore, provide an ultimate tool for manipulating with light, which is of extreme interest for scientists and engineers [8, 9].Recent advances in nanotechnology have resulted in ability to synthesize semiconductor structures with dimensions of a few nanometers.Due to the finite sizes, electron-hole pairs (excitons) can be confined in these nanostructures, which leads to discrete excitonic energy levels.The nanocrystals that confine excitons in spherical or circular spaces are known as quantum dots.The discrete structure of the energy levels results in advantageous optical properties of these nanocrystals: narrow and tunable emission spectra.The emission frequencies can be tuned by varying the nanocrystal size: the smaller the size, the higher the emission frequency.These properties make the nanocrystals very promising elementary emitters for new experiments and devices [10, 11]. Outline of the thesisThis thesis describes time-and angle-resolved experiments, in which effects of threedimensional (3D) photonic crystals on spontaneous emission of embedded light sources (quantum dots and dye molecules) were studied.The thesis is organized as follows:In Chapter 2 we review the theoretical basics of the interaction between light and matter.We discuss the factors triggering the process of spontaneous emission and consider in detail the time evolution of the excited state of the emitter that interacts with the quantized 1.
The optically active nature of direct bandgap semiconductors makes them well suited for applications in quantum optics. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are particularly promising, due to their discrete atom-like energy levels. In this thesis, transitions between these energy levels are used to investigate the effects of electric and magnetic fields on the energy structure of single QDs, with a view to developing applications in the field of quantum computing. In the work presented here a novel method of creating entangled photon pair emitters is presented, in which an electric field is used to tune the energy structure of single QDs to allow the fidelity of the emitted entangled state to be increased. In addition, a technique for the creation of energy-tunable entangled photon pairs is proposed and shown to be feasible with current technology. Furthermore, the potential of QDs to act as an interface between photonic and spin qubits is explored. Application of a time varying electric field is used to dynamically tune the QD energy levels, allowing the evolution of excitons confined within single QDs to be manipulated. Using this system a controlled phase rotation of the exciton spin state is implemented. Finally, indistinguishable single photons, emitted by the radiative decay of the exciton state, are used to generate the input state for an integrated photonic two-qubit quantum logic gate. This is the first demonstration of a two-qubit gate using on-demand single photons. It is also the first demonstration of such a gate with all components realised using semiconductor materials.
While the advanced coherent control of qubits is now routinely carried out in low frequency (GHz) systems like single spins, it is far more challenging to achieve for two-level systems in the optical domain. This is because the latter evolve typically in the THz range, calling for tools of ultrafast, coherent, nonlinear optics. Using four-wave mixing micro-spectroscopy, we here measure the optically driven dynamics of a single exciton quantum state confined in a semiconductor quantum dot. In a combined experimental and theoretical approach, we reveal the intrinsic Rabi oscillation dynamics by monitoring both central exciton quantities, i.e., its occupation and the microscopic coherence, as resolved by the four-wave mixing technique. In the frequency domain this oscillation generates the Autler-Townes splitting of the light-exciton dressed states, directly seen in the four-wave mixing spectra. We further demonstrate that the coupling to acoustic phonons strongly influences the FWM dynamics on the picosecond timescale, because it leads to transitions between the dressed states.