Stimulated Phonon-photon Double-quantum Emission

Walter E. Bron, Wolfgang Grill

Noritaka Kuroda, Yūichirō Nishina

Paweł Karwat, Krzysztof Gawarecki, Katarzyna Roszak +2 more

M. P. Blencowe

Michael J. Gullans, Y.-Y. Liu, J. Stehlik +2 more

We develop a microscopic model for the recently demonstrated double-quantum-dot maser. In characterizing the gain of this device we find that, in addition to the direct stimulated emission of photons, there is a large contribution from the simultaneous emission of a photon and a phonon, i.e., the phonon sideband. We show that this phonon-assisted gain typically dominates the overall gain, which leads to masing. Recent experimental data are well fit with our model.

Jan Jeske, Desmond W. M. Lau, Xavier Vidal +12 more

Stimulated emission is the process fundamental to laser operation, thereby producing coherent photon output. Despite negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) centres being discussed as a potential laser medium since the 1980s, there have been no definitive observations of stimulated emission from ensembles of NV− to date. Here we show both theoretical and experimental evidence for stimulated emission from NV− using light in the phonon sidebands around 700 nm. Furthermore, we show the transition from stimulated emission to photoionization as the stimulating laser wavelength is reduced from 700 to 620 nm. While lasing at the zero-phonon line is suppressed by ionization, our results open the possibility of diamond lasers based on NV− centres, tuneable over the phonon sideband. This broadens the applications of NV− magnetometers from single centre nanoscale sensors to a new generation of ultra-precise ensemble laser sensors, which exploit the contrast and signal amplification of a lasing system. Here Jeskeet al. show both theoretical and experimental evidence for stimulated emission from negatively charged nitrogen vacancy centres using light in the phonon sidebands around 700 nm, demonstrating its suitability as a laser medium.