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:2510.21428 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Exciton and biexciton preparation via coherent swing-up excitation in a GaAs quantum dot embedded in a micropillar cavity

Anonymous, Aleksander Rodek, Abdulmalik A. Madigawa, Ailton J. Garcia, Saimon Filipe Covre da Silva, Martin Arentoft Jacobsen, Luca Vannucci, Gregor Weihs, Armando Rastelli, Vikas Remesh, Niels Gregersen, Battulga Munkhbat

Published Jul 8, 2026• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Coherent control of quantum emitters is essential for scalable quantum photonic technologies. The recently proposed swing up of the quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme allows efficient and coherent state preparation via off-resonant, red-detuned laser pulses, simplifying laser suppression and enhancing photon collection. We present a systematic study of SUPER excitation applied to a single GaAs quantum dot in a low- Q micropillar cavity. We first identify the optimal excitation conditions for SUPER, and then compare the key figures of merit against the well-established two-photon excitation (TPE). Despite requiring higher excitation powers, SUPER achieves near-unity population inversion of the exciton state ( ∼ 95 % ) and high single-photon purity ( g ( 2 ) = 0.03 ) comparable to that under TPE, while also exhibiting a shortened decay time ( ∼ 200 ps) reducing the time jitter in the exciton population. A polarization-resolved analysis reveals that when both excitation and collection are aligned with one of the exciton dipoles, SUPER results in highly polarized single-photon emission, exceeding the resonant TPE saturation by a factor of 1.45. Under optimized excitation conditions, we also observe biexciton preparation via a distinct SUPER resonance, constituting an experimental demonstration of biexciton preparation using SUPER. These findings are in good agreement with a proposed four-level theoretical model that incorporates the biexciton state. Furthermore, we report that, strikingly, a slight misalignment of laser polarization induces an additional SUPER resonance that selectively populates the orthogonal exciton dipole, without altering the nominal excitation polarization. This unexpected behavior reveals a new degree of freedom for coherent state preparation. Our findings establish the SUPER scheme as a versatile tool for state-selective exciton and biexciton control, with strong potential for quantum photonic applications.

DOI
10.1103/q616-jr19

Related papers

Swing-up dynamics in quantum emitter cavity systems: Near ideal single photons and entangled photon pairs

Nils Heinisch, Nikolas Köcher, David Bauch +1 more

In the SUPER scheme (Swing-UP of the quantum EmitteR population), excitation of a quantum emitter is achieved with two off-resonant, red-detuned laser pulses. This allows the generation of high-quality single photons without the need of complex laser stray light suppression or careful spectral filtering. In the present work, we extend this promising method to quantum emitters, specifically semiconductor quantum dots, inside a resonant optical cavity. A significant advantage of the SUPER scheme is identified in that it eliminates re-excitation of the quantum emitter by suppressing photon emission during the excitation cycle. This, in turn, leads to almost ideal single-photon purity, overcoming a major factor typically limiting the quality of photons generated with quantum emitters in high-quality cavities. We further find that for cavity-mediated biexciton emission of degenerate photon pairs, the SUPER scheme leads to near-perfect biexciton initialization with very high values of polarization entanglement of emitted photon pairs. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

arXiv:2303.12604•Physical Review Research•Jan 19, 2024•14 citations

Selective preparation of collective states in coupled quantum emitters using the SUPER excitation scheme

Johannes Kerber, Laurin Ostermann, Vikas Remesh +2 more

The efficient preparation of collective eigenstates of subwavelength-spaced optical dipoles is a prerequisite for observing their signature radiative properties and for their applications in quantum information processing. We theoretically investigate the deterministic preparation of super- and subradiant states of two dipole-coupled two-level quantum emitters at deep-subwavelength separation using the Swing-UP of quantum EmitteR population (SUPER) excitation scheme. Utilizing suitable pulse parameters for two red-detuned, time-overlapping Gaussian pulses, the SUPER scheme enables close-to-unity population inversion in the targeted collective eigenstates. Furthermore, a tunable optical phase in the SUPER scheme enables the simultaneous inversions in both pure super- and subradiant states with finite populations, thereby resulting in the preparation of hybrid collective states. These results are possible to realize with or without an optical cavity. Our approach to populating the collective eigenstates in a cavity environment paves the way for the efficient preparation of these states in the presence of environmental decoherence. Our scheme enables single-photon generation, which is measured using the second-order correlation function. We also discuss in detail possible experimental realizations, in particular using solid-state emitters and molecules.

arXiv:2508.19692•Physical Review Research•Jan 20, 2026•1 citation

SUPER Scheme in Action: Experimental Demonstration of Red-Detuned Excitation of a Quantum Emitter

Yusuf Karli, Florian Kappe, Vikas Remesh +8 more

The quest for the perfect single-photon source includes finding the optimal protocol for exciting the quantum emitter. Coherent optical excitation was, up until now, achieved by tuning the laser pulses to the transition frequency of the emitter, either directly or in average. Recently, it was theoretically discovered that an excitation with two red-detuned pulses is also possible where neither of which would yield a significant upper-level population individually. We show that the so-called swing-up of quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme can be implemented experimentally with similar properties to existing schemes by precise amplitude shaping of a broadband pulse. Because of its truly off-resonant nature, this scheme has the prospect of powering high-purity photon sources with superior photon count rate.

arXiv:2203.00712•Nano Letters•Jul 6, 2022•64 citations

SUPER excitation of quantum emitters is a multi-photon process

Luca Vannucci, Niels Gregersen

The swing-up of quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme allows to populate the excited state of a quantum emitter with near-unity fidelity using two red-detuned laser pulses. Its off-resonant, yet fully coherent nature has attracted significant interest in quantum photonics as a valuable tool for preparing single-photon sources in their excited state on demand, while simultaneously ensuring straightforward spectral filtering of the laser. However, the physical understanding of this mechanism in terms of energy exchange between the electromagnetic field and the emitter is still lacking. Here, we present a fully quantized model of the swing-up excitation and demonstrate that it is in fact a multi-photon process, where one of the modes loses two or more photons while the other gains at least one. Our findings provide an unexpected physical interpretation of the SUPER scheme and unveil a new non-linear interaction between single emitters and multiple field modes.

arXiv:2406.17540•Jun 25, 2024•0 citations

SUPER excitation of quantum emitters is a multi-photon process

Luca Vannucci, Niels Gregersen

The swing-up of quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme allows to populate the excited state of a quantum emitter with near-unity fidelity using two red-detuned laser pulses. Its off-resonant yet fully coherent nature has attracted significant interest in quantum photonics as a valuable tool for preparing single-photon sources in their excited state on demand while simultaneously ensuring straightforward spectral filtering of the laser. However, the physical understanding of this mechanism in terms of energy exchange between the electromagnetic field and the emitter is still lacking. Here, we present a fully quantized model of the swing-up excitation and demonstrate that it is in fact a multi-photon process, where one of the modes loses two or more photons while the other gains at least one. Our findings provide an unexpected physical interpretation of the SUPER scheme and unveil a new non-linear interaction between single emitters and multiple field modes.

Optics Express•Sep 9, 2024•3 citations

Cavity-enhanced excitation of a quantum dot in the picosecond regime

Alisa Javadi, Natasha Tomm, Nadia O. Antoniadis +6 more

Abstract A major challenge in generating single photons with a single emitter is to excite the emitter while avoiding laser leakage into the collection path. Ideally, any scheme to suppress this leakage should not result in a loss in the efficiency of the single-photon source. Here, we investigate a scheme in which a single emitter, a semiconductor quantum dot, is embedded in a microcavity. The scheme exploits the splitting of the cavity mode into two orthogonally-polarised modes: one mode is used for excitation, the other for collection. By linking the experiment to theory, we show that the best population inversion is achieved with a laser pulse detuned from the quantum emitter. The Rabi oscillations exhibit an unusual dependence on pulse power. Our theory describes them quantitatively, enabling us to determine the absolute population inversion. By comparing the experimental results with our theoretical model, we determine a population inversion of 98 % − 5 % + 1 % for optimal laser detuning. The Rabi oscillations depend on the sign of the laser-pulse detuning, a phenomenon arising from the non-trivial effect of phonons on the exciton dynamics. The exciton–phonon interaction is included in the theory and gives excellent agreement with all the experimental results.

arXiv:2301.13806•New Journal of Physics•Aug 23, 2023•7 citations
Coherent control of quantum emitters is essential for scalable quantum photonic technologies. The recently proposed swing up of the quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme allows efficient and coherent state preparation via off-resonant, red-detuned laser pulses, simplifying laser suppression and enhancing photon collection. We present a systematic study of SUPER excitation applied to a single GaAs quantum dot in a low- Q micropillar cavity. We first identify the optimal excitation conditions for SUPER, and then compare the key figures of merit against the well-established two-photon excitation (TPE). Despite requiring higher excitation powers, SUPER achieves near-unity population inversion of the exciton state ( ∼ 95 % ) and high single-photon purity ( g ( 2 ) = 0.03 ) comparable to that under TPE, while also exhibiting a shortened decay time ( ∼ 200 ps) reducing the time jitter in the exciton population. A polarization-resolved analysis reveals that when both excitation and collection are aligned with one of the exciton dipoles, SUPER results in highly polarized single-photon emission, exceeding the resonant TPE saturation by a factor of 1.45. Under optimized excitation conditions, we also observe biexciton preparation via a distinct SUPER resonance, constituting an experimental demonstration of biexciton preparation using SUPER. These findings are in good agreement with a proposed four-level theoretical model that incorporates the biexciton state. Furthermore, we report that, strikingly, a slight misalignment of laser polarization induces an additional SUPER resonance that selectively populates the orthogonal exciton dipole, without altering the nominal excitation polarization. This unexpected behavior reveals a new degree of freedom for coherent state preparation. Our findings establish the SUPER scheme as a versatile tool for state-selective exciton and biexciton control, with strong potential for quantum photonic applications.
In the SUPER scheme (Swing-UP of the quantum EmitteR population), excitation of a quantum emitter is achieved with two off-resonant, red-detuned laser pulses. This allows the generation of high-quality single photons without the need of complex laser stray light suppression or careful spectral filtering. In the present work, we extend this promising method to quantum emitters, specifically semiconductor quantum dots, inside a resonant optical cavity. A significant advantage of the SUPER scheme is identified in that it eliminates re-excitation of the quantum emitter by suppressing photon emission during the excitation cycle. This, in turn, leads to almost ideal single-photon purity, overcoming a major factor typically limiting the quality of photons generated with quantum emitters in high-quality cavities. We further find that for cavity-mediated biexciton emission of degenerate photon pairs, the SUPER scheme leads to near-perfect biexciton initialization with very high values of polarization entanglement of emitted photon pairs. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
The efficient preparation of collective eigenstates of subwavelength-spaced optical dipoles is a prerequisite for observing their signature radiative properties and for their applications in quantum information processing. We theoretically investigate the deterministic preparation of super- and subradiant states of two dipole-coupled two-level quantum emitters at deep-subwavelength separation using the Swing-UP of quantum EmitteR population (SUPER) excitation scheme. Utilizing suitable pulse parameters for two red-detuned, time-overlapping Gaussian pulses, the SUPER scheme enables close-to-unity population inversion in the targeted collective eigenstates. Furthermore, a tunable optical phase in the SUPER scheme enables the simultaneous inversions in both pure super- and subradiant states with finite populations, thereby resulting in the preparation of hybrid collective states. These results are possible to realize with or without an optical cavity. Our approach to populating the collective eigenstates in a cavity environment paves the way for the efficient preparation of these states in the presence of environmental decoherence. Our scheme enables single-photon generation, which is measured using the second-order correlation function. We also discuss in detail possible experimental realizations, in particular using solid-state emitters and molecules.
The quest for the perfect single-photon source includes finding the optimal protocol for exciting the quantum emitter. Coherent optical excitation was, up until now, achieved by tuning the laser pulses to the transition frequency of the emitter, either directly or in average. Recently, it was theoretically discovered that an excitation with two red-detuned pulses is also possible where neither of which would yield a significant upper-level population individually. We show that the so-called swing-up of quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme can be implemented experimentally with similar properties to existing schemes by precise amplitude shaping of a broadband pulse. Because of its truly off-resonant nature, this scheme has the prospect of powering high-purity photon sources with superior photon count rate.
The swing-up of quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme allows to populate the excited state of a quantum emitter with near-unity fidelity using two red-detuned laser pulses. Its off-resonant, yet fully coherent nature has attracted significant interest in quantum photonics as a valuable tool for preparing single-photon sources in their excited state on demand, while simultaneously ensuring straightforward spectral filtering of the laser. However, the physical understanding of this mechanism in terms of energy exchange between the electromagnetic field and the emitter is still lacking. Here, we present a fully quantized model of the swing-up excitation and demonstrate that it is in fact a multi-photon process, where one of the modes loses two or more photons while the other gains at least one. Our findings provide an unexpected physical interpretation of the SUPER scheme and unveil a new non-linear interaction between single emitters and multiple field modes.
The swing-up of quantum emitter population (SUPER) scheme allows to populate the excited state of a quantum emitter with near-unity fidelity using two red-detuned laser pulses. Its off-resonant yet fully coherent nature has attracted significant interest in quantum photonics as a valuable tool for preparing single-photon sources in their excited state on demand while simultaneously ensuring straightforward spectral filtering of the laser. However, the physical understanding of this mechanism in terms of energy exchange between the electromagnetic field and the emitter is still lacking. Here, we present a fully quantized model of the swing-up excitation and demonstrate that it is in fact a multi-photon process, where one of the modes loses two or more photons while the other gains at least one. Our findings provide an unexpected physical interpretation of the SUPER scheme and unveil a new non-linear interaction between single emitters and multiple field modes.
Abstract A major challenge in generating single photons with a single emitter is to excite the emitter while avoiding laser leakage into the collection path. Ideally, any scheme to suppress this leakage should not result in a loss in the efficiency of the single-photon source. Here, we investigate a scheme in which a single emitter, a semiconductor quantum dot, is embedded in a microcavity. The scheme exploits the splitting of the cavity mode into two orthogonally-polarised modes: one mode is used for excitation, the other for collection. By linking the experiment to theory, we show that the best population inversion is achieved with a laser pulse detuned from the quantum emitter. The Rabi oscillations exhibit an unusual dependence on pulse power. Our theory describes them quantitatively, enabling us to determine the absolute population inversion. By comparing the experimental results with our theoretical model, we determine a population inversion of 98 % − 5 % + 1 % for optimal laser detuning. The Rabi oscillations depend on the sign of the laser-pulse detuning, a phenomenon arising from the non-trivial effect of phonons on the exciton dynamics. The exciton–phonon interaction is included in the theory and gives excellent agreement with all the experimental results.