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

European Conference on Optical Communication

Collecting and Manipulating Single Photons with Near-Unity Efficiency

Stephan Götzinger

Published Dec 1, 2020• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this tutorial I will first review various approaches which have been employed to efficiently collect single photons from a single emitter. In the second part I will discuss experiments where a single molecule provides an optical nonlinearity strong enough to manipulate single photons.
DOI
10.1109/ecoc48923.2020.9333339

Related papers

A planar dielectric antenna for directional single-photon emission and near-unity collection efficiency

Kwanggeol Lee, Xuewen Chen, Hadi Eghlidi +3 more

Single photon sources have been discussed as the building blocks of quantum cryptography, optical quantum computation, spectroscopy, and metrology. However, when using sources based on single emitters, the success of these proposals depends on the ability to achieve near-unity collection efficiency into well-defined modes. Some of the current state-of-the-art efforts aimed at achieving these criteria have been demonstrated, but despite an impressive progress the results still fall short. In particular, a collection efficiency of 38% were reported using microresonators, while a nanowire device reached an efficiency of 72% at cryogenic temperatures. In this paper, the authors report on a broad-band room-temperature scheme, which uses a layered dielectric antenna for realizing ultra bright single photon sources with near-unity collection efficiency.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•May 1, 2011•12 citations

Single Photon Manipulation

Keyu Xia

This short book aims to present basic information about single photons in a quick read but with not many details. For this purpose, it only introduces the basic concept of single photons, the most important method of generating single photons in experiments, and a specific emerging field.

IntechOpen eBooks•Sep 2, 2019•1 citation

Spectroscopy of a single molecule using single photons emitted by another molecule

Yves L. A. Rezus, Samuel G. Walt, G. Zumofen +3 more

In this presentation, we report for the first time on the spectroscopy of single molecules using a freely-propagating stream of single photons produced by another single molecule placed at a large distance.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•May 1, 2011•0 citations

Cavity quantum electrodynamics with a single molecule: Purcell enhancement, strong coupling and single-photon nonlinearity

Daqing Wang

Abstract Control of light–matter coupling at the quantum level is an enabling technique for many emerging quantum technologies. This tutorial describes recent advances in achieving efficient coupling of light with a single molecule using an optical Fabry–Perot microcavity. We demonstrate that the efficient cavity-molecule coupling converts the molecule to an effective two-level system. In this regime, a single molecule can act as a nearly perfect reflecting mirror and exhibits optical nonlinearity at the ultimate level of single photons.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Apr 12, 2021•16 citations

Quantum nonlinear optics in one dimension (Conference Presentation)

Nir Rotenberg

At the quantum limit of nonlinear optics, where single photons interact with individual emitters, new phenomena are found. One-dimensional, subwavelength waveguides have recently emerged as a promising quantum optical platform capable of both guiding and confining photons, leading to efficient light-matter interactions and enhancing quantum optical nonlinearities. We explore this regime using both single organic molecules and epitaxially grown quantum dots coupled to nanoscale waveguides. In the first case, two-color experiments allow us to observe distinctly quantum nonlinearities such as Stark shifts of the molecular resonances or amplification without population inversion, although we are limited by relatively weak molecule-waveguide coupling. In contrast, quantum dots can be nearly perfectly coupled to waveguides, allowing us to demonstrate optical nonlinearities at the true single photon level. These, as we discuss, can be used as a basis for novel on-chip quantum technologies.

Ultrafast Phenomena and Nanophotonics•Mar 14, 2018•0 citations

100 million photons per second from a single organic molecule

Siwei Luo, Tim Hebenstreit, Alexey Shkarin +3 more

At cryogenic temperatures, organic single-photon sources (SPSs) offer Fourier-limited emission, virtually unlimited photostability, and emission wavelengths selectable by molecular design, making them attractive for quantum metrology, secure communication, and photonic quantum information processing. However, their efficient integration with photonic microstructures has remained challenging, limiting photon collection from single organic emitters under cryogenic operation. Here, we demonstrate a cryogenic planar metallo-dielectric antenna that efficiently directs the emission of a single dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecule towards the collection optics. The device reaches a collection efficiency of 97% and delivers 100 million photons per second into the first lens. We measure a photon indistinguishability for the Fourier-limited transition of 91.2% while maintaining a high single-photon purity of 97.7% under strong continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed excitation. These results establish organic molecules as a high-performance platform for single-photon generation and represent an important step towards scalable organic quantum photonic technologies.

quant-pharXiv:2609.29736•Sep 25, 2026•0 citations
Single photon sources have been discussed as the building blocks of quantum cryptography, optical quantum computation, spectroscopy, and metrology. However, when using sources based on single emitters, the success of these proposals depends on the ability to achieve near-unity collection efficiency into well-defined modes. Some of the current state-of-the-art efforts aimed at achieving these criteria have been demonstrated, but despite an impressive progress the results still fall short. In particular, a collection efficiency of 38% were reported using microresonators, while a nanowire device reached an efficiency of 72% at cryogenic temperatures. In this paper, the authors report on a broad-band room-temperature scheme, which uses a layered dielectric antenna for realizing ultra bright single photon sources with near-unity collection efficiency.
Abstract Control of light–matter coupling at the quantum level is an enabling technique for many emerging quantum technologies. This tutorial describes recent advances in achieving efficient coupling of light with a single molecule using an optical Fabry–Perot microcavity. We demonstrate that the efficient cavity-molecule coupling converts the molecule to an effective two-level system. In this regime, a single molecule can act as a nearly perfect reflecting mirror and exhibits optical nonlinearity at the ultimate level of single photons.
At the quantum limit of nonlinear optics, where single photons interact with individual emitters, new phenomena are found. One-dimensional, subwavelength waveguides have recently emerged as a promising quantum optical platform capable of both guiding and confining photons, leading to efficient light-matter interactions and enhancing quantum optical nonlinearities. We explore this regime using both single organic molecules and epitaxially grown quantum dots coupled to nanoscale waveguides. In the first case, two-color experiments allow us to observe distinctly quantum nonlinearities such as Stark shifts of the molecular resonances or amplification without population inversion, although we are limited by relatively weak molecule-waveguide coupling. In contrast, quantum dots can be nearly perfectly coupled to waveguides, allowing us to demonstrate optical nonlinearities at the true single photon level. These, as we discuss, can be used as a basis for novel on-chip quantum technologies.
At cryogenic temperatures, organic single-photon sources (SPSs) offer Fourier-limited emission, virtually unlimited photostability, and emission wavelengths selectable by molecular design, making them attractive for quantum metrology, secure communication, and photonic quantum information processing. However, their efficient integration with photonic microstructures has remained challenging, limiting photon collection from single organic emitters under cryogenic operation. Here, we demonstrate a cryogenic planar metallo-dielectric antenna that efficiently directs the emission of a single dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecule towards the collection optics. The device reaches a collection efficiency of 97% and delivers 100 million photons per second into the first lens. We measure a photon indistinguishability for the Fourier-limited transition of 91.2% while maintaining a high single-photon purity of 97.7% under strong continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed excitation. These results establish organic molecules as a high-performance platform for single-photon generation and represent an important step towards scalable organic quantum photonic technologies.