Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1904.10905 · Nanophotonics

Non‐Markovian features in semiconductor quantum optics: quantifying the role of phonons in experiment and theory

Alexander Carmele, Stephan Reitzenstein

Published Jun 1, 2018• 55 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract We discuss phonon‐induced non‐Markovian and Markovian features in QD‐based quantum nanooptics. We cover lineshapes in linear absorption experiments, phonon‐induced incoherence in the Heitler regime, and memory correlations in two‐photon coherences. To qualitatively and quantitatively understand the underlying physics, we present several theoretical models that capture the non‐Markovian properties of the electron–phonon interaction accurately in different regimes. Examples are the Heisenberg equation of motion approach, the polaron master equation, and Liouville propagator techniques in the independent boson limit and beyond via the path integral method. Phenomenological modeling overestimates typically the dephasing due to the finite memory kernel of phonons and we give instructive examples of phonon‐mediated coherence such as phonon‐dressed anticrossings in Mollow physics, robust quantum state preparation, cavity feeding, and the stabilization of the collapse and revival phenomenon in the strong coupling limit of cavity quantum electrodynamics.

DOI
10.1515/nanoph-2018-0222

Related papers

Stabilization of photon collapse and revival dynamics by a non-Markovian phonon bath

Alexander Carmele, Andreas Knorr, Frank Milde

Solid state-based light emitters such as semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been demonstrated to be versatile candidates to study the fundamentals of light–matter interaction. In contrast to optics with isolated atomic systems, in the solid-state dissipative processes are induced by the inherent coupling to the environment and are typically perceived as a major obstacle toward stable performances in experiments and applications. In this theoretical model study we show that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, in certain parameter regimes, the memory of the solid-state environment can enhance coherent quantum optical effects. In particular, we demonstrate that the non-Markovian coupling to an incoherent phonon bath can exhibit a stabilizing effect on the coherent QD cavity-quantum electrodynamics by inhibiting irregular oscillations and allowing for regular collapse and revival patterns. For self-assembled GaAs/InAs QDs at low photon numbers we predict dynamics that deviate dramatically from the well-known atomic Jaynes–Cummings model. Even if the required sample parameters are not yet available in recent experimental achievements, we believe our proposal opens the way to a systematic and deliberate design of photon quantum effects via specifically engineered solid-state environments.

arXiv:1203.0126•New Journal of Physics•Oct 23, 2013•13 citations

Decoherence in semiconductor cavity QED systems due to phonon couplings

Per Kaer, Jesper Mørk

We investigate the effect of electron-phonon interactions on the coherence properties of single photons emitted from a semiconductor cavity QED (quantum electrodynamics) system, i.e., a quantum dot embedded in an optical cavity. The degree of indistinguishability, governing the quantum mechanical interference between two single photons, is calculated as a function of important parameters describing the cavity QED system and the phonon reservoir, e.g., cavity quality factor, light-matter coupling strength, temperature, and phonon lifetime. We show that non-Markovian effects play an important role in determining the coherence properties for typical parameter values and establish the conditions under which a Markovian approximation may be applied. The calculations are performed using a recently developed second-order perturbation theory, and the limits of validity are established by comparing to an exact diagonalization approach. We find that for large cavity decay rates the perturbation theory may break down.

arXiv:1404.5604•Physical Review B•Jul 17, 2014•32 citations

Phonon-induced dephasing in quantum dot-cavity QED: Limitations of the polaron master equation

A. Morreau, Chaitanya S. Joshi, Egor A. Muljarov

A semiconductor quantum dot (QD) embedded within an optical microcavity is a system of fundamental importance within quantum information processing. The optimization of quantum coherence is crucial in such applications, requiring an in-depth understanding of the relevant decoherence mechanisms. We provide herein a critical review of prevalent theoretical treatments of the QD-cavity system coupled to longitudinal acoustic phonons, comparing predictions against a recently obtained exact solution. Within this review we consider a range of temperatures and exciton-cavity coupling strengths. Predictions of the polaron Nakajima-Zwanzig (NZ) and time-convolutionless (TCL) master equations, as well as a variation of the former adapted for adiabatic continuous wave excitation (CWE), are compared against an asymptotically exact solution based upon Trotter's decomposition (TD) theorem. The NZ and TCL implementations, which apply a polaron transformation to the Hamiltonian and subsequently treat the exciton-cavity coupling to second order, do not offer a significant improvement accuracy relative to the polaron transformation alone. The CWE adaptation provides a marked improvement, capturing the broadband features of the absorption spectrum (not present in NZ and TCL implementations). We attribute this difference to the effect of the Markov approximation, and particularly its unsuitability in pulsed excitation regime. Even the CWE adaptation, however, breaks down in the regime of high temperature ($50K$) and strong exciton-cavity coupling ($g \gtrsim 0.2$ meV). The TD solution is of comparable computational complexity to the above-mentioned master equation approaches, yet remains accurate at higher temperatures and across a broad range of exciton-cavity coupling strengths (at least up to $g=1.5$ meV).

arXiv:2002.01912•Feb 5, 2020•0 citations

Quantum theory of the emission spectrum from quantum dots coupled to structured photonic reservoirs and acoustic phonons

Kaushik Roy‐Choudhury, Stephen Hughes

Electron-phonon coupling in semiconductor quantum dots plays a significant role in determining the optical properties of excited excitons, especially the spectral nature of emitted photons. This paper presents a comprehensive theory and analysis of emission spectra from artificial atoms or quantum dots coupled to structured photon reservoirs and acoustic phonons, when excited with incoherent pump fields. As specific examples of structured reservoirs, we chose a Lorentzian cavity and a slow-light coupled-cavity waveguide, which have both been explored experimentally. For the case of optical cavities, we directly compare and contrast the spectra from three well-known and distinct theoretical approaches to treat electron-phonon coupling, including a Markovian polaron master equation, a non-Markovian phonon correlation expansion technique, and a semiclassical linear susceptibility approach, and we point out the limitations of these models. For the cavity-QED polaron master equation, which treats the cavity-mode operator at the level of a system operator, we give closed form analytical solutions to the phonon-assisted scattering rates in the weak excitation approximation, fully accounting for temperature, cavity-exciton detuning, and cavity-dot coupling. We also show explicitly why the semiclassical linear susceptibility approach fails to correctly account for phonon-mediated cavity feeding. For weakly coupled cavities, we calculate the optical spectra using a more general photon reservoir polaron master-equation approach, and explain its differences from the above approaches in the low-$Q$ limit of a Lorentzian cavity. We subsequently use this general reservoir approach to calculate the emission spectra from quantum dots coupled to slow-light photonic crystal waveguides, which demonstrate a number of striking photon-phonon coupling effects.

arXiv:1504.03356•Physical Review B•Nov 4, 2015•58 citations

Characteristics of coherent photon transport in semiconductor waveguide cavity system

Abdul Sattar Alam, Ashok Kumar

We have studied the characteristic feature of coherent photon transport in a semiconductor waveguide. We have presented a semiconductor master equation formalism that accurately simulated coherent input or output coupling of semiconductor cavity quantum electrodynamics systems such as planar photonic crystals and micropillar cavities. The role of quantized multiphoton effects pointed out the possible failure of weak excitation approximation, which was found to fail even for low input powers and small mean cavity photon numbers. For increasing field strengths, possible failure of the semiclassical approach was taken into account. In the weak coupling regime, higher order quantum correlation effects, were shown to be significant. We have introduced the general theoretical technique to simulate coherent photon transport outside both the weak excitation approximation and the semi classical approximation. Electron-phonon interactions at a microscopic level were derived using polaron transformation. We have demonstrated that substantial deviations from the weak excitation approximation resulted for very small mean photon numbers. We have modified the master equation approach to include the mechanism of electron-acoustic scattering and studied the impact of electron-phonon interaction on incoherent scattering and coherent renormalization of the exciton cavity coupling rate, qualitative differences from simple Lorentzian decay model containing quantum dot were found. We have also studied the transmission of light in the strong coupling regime and simulated a phase gate. We have found that coupling to an acoustic phonon bath caused considerable qualitative changes in light propagation characteristics modeled by a simple pure dephasing process. We have used the model to simulate a conditional phasegate. The obtained results were found in good agreement with previously obtained results.

Bulletin of Pure & Applied Sciences- Physics•Jan 1, 2022•0 citations

Markovian Approach to N -Photon Correlations beyond the Quantum Regression Theorem

Mateusz J. Salamon, Oliver Dudgeon, Ahsan Nazir +1 more

Multiphoton correlations from quantum emitters coupled to vibrational environments lie beyond the reach of standard tools such as the quantum regression theorem. Here, we introduce a Markovian framework for computing frequency-resolved N-photon correlation functions that overcomes this limitation. Applying our approach to a driven semiconductor quantum dot provides a tractable description of phonon effects on fluorescence beyond the single-photon spectrum. Our method accurately captures the emergence of the phonon sideband, missed by conventional quantum regression theorem treatments, and reveals rich phonon-induced structure in the filtered two-photon spectrum. Strikingly, we find that photons emitted via the phonon sideband inherit second-order coherence properties of the Mollow triplet.

arXiv:2509.21569•Physical Review Letters•Jan 22, 2026•2 citations
Abstract We discuss phonon‐induced non‐Markovian and Markovian features in QD‐based quantum nanooptics. We cover lineshapes in linear absorption experiments, phonon‐induced incoherence in the Heitler regime, and memory correlations in two‐photon coherences. To qualitatively and quantitatively understand the underlying physics, we present several theoretical models that capture the non‐Markovian properties of the electron–phonon interaction accurately in different regimes. Examples are the Heisenberg equation of motion approach, the polaron master equation, and Liouville propagator techniques in the independent boson limit and beyond via the path integral method. Phenomenological modeling overestimates typically the dephasing due to the finite memory kernel of phonons and we give instructive examples of phonon‐mediated coherence such as phonon‐dressed anticrossings in Mollow physics, robust quantum state preparation, cavity feeding, and the stabilization of the collapse and revival phenomenon in the strong coupling limit of cavity quantum electrodynamics.
Solid state-based light emitters such as semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been demonstrated to be versatile candidates to study the fundamentals of light–matter interaction. In contrast to optics with isolated atomic systems, in the solid-state dissipative processes are induced by the inherent coupling to the environment and are typically perceived as a major obstacle toward stable performances in experiments and applications. In this theoretical model study we show that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, in certain parameter regimes, the memory of the solid-state environment can enhance coherent quantum optical effects. In particular, we demonstrate that the non-Markovian coupling to an incoherent phonon bath can exhibit a stabilizing effect on the coherent QD cavity-quantum electrodynamics by inhibiting irregular oscillations and allowing for regular collapse and revival patterns. For self-assembled GaAs/InAs QDs at low photon numbers we predict dynamics that deviate dramatically from the well-known atomic Jaynes–Cummings model. Even if the required sample parameters are not yet available in recent experimental achievements, we believe our proposal opens the way to a systematic and deliberate design of photon quantum effects via specifically engineered solid-state environments.
We investigate the effect of electron-phonon interactions on the coherence properties of single photons emitted from a semiconductor cavity QED (quantum electrodynamics) system, i.e., a quantum dot embedded in an optical cavity. The degree of indistinguishability, governing the quantum mechanical interference between two single photons, is calculated as a function of important parameters describing the cavity QED system and the phonon reservoir, e.g., cavity quality factor, light-matter coupling strength, temperature, and phonon lifetime. We show that non-Markovian effects play an important role in determining the coherence properties for typical parameter values and establish the conditions under which a Markovian approximation may be applied. The calculations are performed using a recently developed second-order perturbation theory, and the limits of validity are established by comparing to an exact diagonalization approach. We find that for large cavity decay rates the perturbation theory may break down.
A semiconductor quantum dot (QD) embedded within an optical microcavity is a system of fundamental importance within quantum information processing. The optimization of quantum coherence is crucial in such applications, requiring an in-depth understanding of the relevant decoherence mechanisms. We provide herein a critical review of prevalent theoretical treatments of the QD-cavity system coupled to longitudinal acoustic phonons, comparing predictions against a recently obtained exact solution. Within this review we consider a range of temperatures and exciton-cavity coupling strengths. Predictions of the polaron Nakajima-Zwanzig (NZ) and time-convolutionless (TCL) master equations, as well as a variation of the former adapted for adiabatic continuous wave excitation (CWE), are compared against an asymptotically exact solution based upon Trotter's decomposition (TD) theorem. The NZ and TCL implementations, which apply a polaron transformation to the Hamiltonian and subsequently treat the exciton-cavity coupling to second order, do not offer a significant improvement accuracy relative to the polaron transformation alone. The CWE adaptation provides a marked improvement, capturing the broadband features of the absorption spectrum (not present in NZ and TCL implementations). We attribute this difference to the effect of the Markov approximation, and particularly its unsuitability in pulsed excitation regime. Even the CWE adaptation, however, breaks down in the regime of high temperature (50K50K50K) and strong exciton-cavity coupling (g≳0.2g \gtrsim 0.2g≳0.2 meV). The TD solution is of comparable computational complexity to the above-mentioned master equation approaches, yet remains accurate at higher temperatures and across a broad range of exciton-cavity coupling strengths (at least up to g=1.5g=1.5g=1.5 meV).
Electron-phonon coupling in semiconductor quantum dots plays a significant role in determining the optical properties of excited excitons, especially the spectral nature of emitted photons. This paper presents a comprehensive theory and analysis of emission spectra from artificial atoms or quantum dots coupled to structured photon reservoirs and acoustic phonons, when excited with incoherent pump fields. As specific examples of structured reservoirs, we chose a Lorentzian cavity and a slow-light coupled-cavity waveguide, which have both been explored experimentally. For the case of optical cavities, we directly compare and contrast the spectra from three well-known and distinct theoretical approaches to treat electron-phonon coupling, including a Markovian polaron master equation, a non-Markovian phonon correlation expansion technique, and a semiclassical linear susceptibility approach, and we point out the limitations of these models. For the cavity-QED polaron master equation, which treats the cavity-mode operator at the level of a system operator, we give closed form analytical solutions to the phonon-assisted scattering rates in the weak excitation approximation, fully accounting for temperature, cavity-exciton detuning, and cavity-dot coupling. We also show explicitly why the semiclassical linear susceptibility approach fails to correctly account for phonon-mediated cavity feeding. For weakly coupled cavities, we calculate the optical spectra using a more general photon reservoir polaron master-equation approach, and explain its differences from the above approaches in the low-QQQ limit of a Lorentzian cavity. We subsequently use this general reservoir approach to calculate the emission spectra from quantum dots coupled to slow-light photonic crystal waveguides, which demonstrate a number of striking photon-phonon coupling effects.
We have studied the characteristic feature of coherent photon transport in a semiconductor waveguide. We have presented a semiconductor master equation formalism that accurately simulated coherent input or output coupling of semiconductor cavity quantum electrodynamics systems such as planar photonic crystals and micropillar cavities. The role of quantized multiphoton effects pointed out the possible failure of weak excitation approximation, which was found to fail even for low input powers and small mean cavity photon numbers. For increasing field strengths, possible failure of the semiclassical approach was taken into account. In the weak coupling regime, higher order quantum correlation effects, were shown to be significant. We have introduced the general theoretical technique to simulate coherent photon transport outside both the weak excitation approximation and the semi classical approximation. Electron-phonon interactions at a microscopic level were derived using polaron transformation. We have demonstrated that substantial deviations from the weak excitation approximation resulted for very small mean photon numbers. We have modified the master equation approach to include the mechanism of electron-acoustic scattering and studied the impact of electron-phonon interaction on incoherent scattering and coherent renormalization of the exciton cavity coupling rate, qualitative differences from simple Lorentzian decay model containing quantum dot were found. We have also studied the transmission of light in the strong coupling regime and simulated a phase gate. We have found that coupling to an acoustic phonon bath caused considerable qualitative changes in light propagation characteristics modeled by a simple pure dephasing process. We have used the model to simulate a conditional phasegate. The obtained results were found in good agreement with previously obtained results.
Multiphoton correlations from quantum emitters coupled to vibrational environments lie beyond the reach of standard tools such as the quantum regression theorem. Here, we introduce a Markovian framework for computing frequency-resolved N-photon correlation functions that overcomes this limitation. Applying our approach to a driven semiconductor quantum dot provides a tractable description of phonon effects on fluorescence beyond the single-photon spectrum. Our method accurately captures the emergence of the phonon sideband, missed by conventional quantum regression theorem treatments, and reveals rich phonon-induced structure in the filtered two-photon spectrum. Strikingly, we find that photons emitted via the phonon sideband inherit second-order coherence properties of the Mollow triplet.