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Controlling the dynamics of quantum mechanical systems using meta-atoms

Carsten Rockstuhl, Robert Filter, Toni Eichelkraut, Sean A. Fischer, Jan Christoph Goldschmidt, F. Lederer

Published Jan 1, 2012• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We provide an overview of our latest activities on using optical meta-atoms to mediate the interaction of light with molecular systems. The first subject concerns the control of the dynamics of quantum mechanical systems featuring dipole-forbidden transitions. There, the meta-atoms provide local fields that exhibit a large electric quadrupole moment. The second issue is related to the enhancement of the upconversion process in erbium-doped glasses. There, the optical meta-atom has to show a resonance at multiple frequencies which matches the term schema of erbium. It will be concluded that optical meta-atoms are promising to enable inaccessible processes in a quantum mechanical system which will allow groundbreaking applications.

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We provide an overview of our latest activities on using optical meta-atoms to mediate the interaction of light with molecular systems. The first subject concerns the control of the dynamics of quantum mechanical systems featuring dipole-forbidden transitions. There, the meta-atoms provide local fields that exhibit a large electric quadrupole moment. The second issue is related to the enhancement of the upconversion process in erbium-doped glasses. There, the optical meta-atom has to show a resonance at multiple frequencies which matches the term schema of erbium. It will be concluded that optical meta-atoms are promising to enable inaccessible processes in a quantum mechanical system which will allow groundbreaking applications.
Summary form only given. Although it is often assumed that all light-matter interactions at optical frequencies are mediated by electric dipole transitions, strong optical-frequency magnetic dipoles do exist. In fact, we see magnetic dipole emission every day from the many lanthanide ions (such as erbium, europium, and terbium) that help to illuminate everything from fluorescent lighting to telecom fiber amplifiers. Higher-order processes such as magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole transitions also play an important part in the light emission from transition metal ions and semiconductor quantum dots. Nevertheless, most applications have overlooked the device implications of these electric-dipole-forbidden transitions throughout the visible and near-infrared regime, and their contributions to many important emitters have not been fully characterized.In this presentation, we will experimentally characterize the "forbidden" transitions in a range of solid-state emitters and investigate their applications and implications for nanophotonics. We will examine the electric dipole approximation commonly used to describe light-matter interactions and discuss naturally occurring systems that exhibit higher-order magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole emission. We will illustrate how these nanoscale quantum transitions can provide both a new way to probe magnetic light-matter interactions and a new degree of design freedom for active electronic and photonic devices. Specifically, we will demonstrate how the different symmetries of multipolar transitions can be exploited to identify, quantify, and control light emission, even at sub-lifetime scales. Despite similar radiation patterns, magnetic and electric dipole emitters have different symmetries with respect to polarization and phase. Thus, in an inhomogeneous environment, we can tailor interference effects and the local density of optical states to selectively enhance either electric or magnetic dipole emission [1,2]. To examine the scope of such higher-order transitions, we will present quantum mechanical calculations that identify all the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole emission lines in the trivalent lanthanide series in the visible to near-infrared spectrum [3]. Then, we will present an energyand momentum-resolved spectroscopy technique to directly quantify the electric and magnetic dipole contributions from any mixed transition. [4] Using energy-momentum spectroscopy, we will experimentally examine the higher order transitions in lanthanide ions [4,5], transition metal ions [6], and epitaxial quantum dots [7]. If time permits, we will then show how the symmetry differences between magnetic and electric dipoles can be used to address specific electronic states [6] and to dynamically tune emission spectra at sub-lifetime-scales [8].
We show that the normally weak optical quadrupole interaction in atoms is enhanced significantly when the atom interacts at near resonance with an optical vortex. In particular, the forces and torque acting on the atom are shown here to scale up with the square of the winding number l of the vortex. Because the integer l can be arranged to be large, this property allows for processes involving dipole-forbidden, but quadrupole-allowed, transitions in atoms, such as cesium and oxygen, to come into play. We show that the mechanical effects of vortex light on atoms involving translational and rotational motion as well as trapping should be significantly enhanced for quadrupole transitions and present novel features with useful implications for the emerging field of atomtronics.
Meta-devices, known for their capability to manipulate light fields at a subwavelength scale, have gained significant traction in the realm of quantum photonics in recent ACCEPTED ARTICLE PREVIEW 2 / 48 years.They are being utilized in miniaturized applications such as the preparation of quantum light sources and the control and detection of quantum states.In this review, we provide a systematic explanation of the working principles and notable applications of meta-devices in quantum optical information processing, while also outlining potential directions for the future development of quantum meta-devices.