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Study of the Influence of Electromagnetic Scattering on the Spontaneous Emission of a Solid-State Single-Photon Emitter

Shaikh Arhama Gufran

Published Jul 28, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

From secure communication to blazingly fast computation, quantum technologies promise arevolutionary horizon with transformative potential across many areas. Single photon sources,essential to utilizing the special qualities of quantum mechanics, are at the core of many ofthese developments. Because single photons are discrete quanta of light, they provide quantum systems withunmatched precision and control, opening up new possibilities for security and sensitivity inapplications like quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution, and quantum sensing.These sources are fundamental components of quantum computing, in which complicatedcomputations can be completed tenfold more quickly than with traditional computers thanks toqubits contained in single photons. To fully realize the promise of quantum technologies andtheir widespread application, single-photon source development and optimization mustcontinue. In the field of quantum technologies, increasing the spontaneous emission rate of a singlephoton source is important for multiple reasons. First of all, a higher emission rate results in amore effective production of single photons, which is necessary for applications like quantumkey distribution (QKD) that demand a high photon flux. A greater emission rate in QKDincreases the overall security and efficiency of quantum communication systems byguaranteeing a quicker and more dependable interchange of quantum information. All things considered, increasing the spontaneous emission rate of a single photon source iscritical to realizing the full promise of quantum technologies, facilitating quicker and moreeffective quantum computing, sensing, integrated photonics, and communication, and openingthe door for revolutionary developments across a range of industries. This thesis explores the impact of electromagnetic scattering on solid-state single photonemitters' spontaneous emission behavior. By applying sophisticated computational approachesand conducting a comprehensive literature analysis, the study seeks to confirm and reproduceprevious findings, expanding and solidifying our knowledge of basic principles andcomputational strategies in this field. Two different scatterer geometries, a sphere, and a cylinder, activated by a point dipoleapproximation that is frequently employed in quantum optics simulations are the subject of thiswork. The main goal is to thoroughly evaluate and validate previously published results, not topresent new physics, but to guarantee the stability and dependability of computational modelsin the study of interactions between light and matter.

DOI
10.5281/zenodo.21647805

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From secure communication to blazingly fast computation, quantum technologies promise arevolutionary horizon with transformative potential across many areas. Single photon sources,essential to utilizing the special qualities of quantum mechanics, are at the core of many ofthese developments. Because single photons are discrete quanta of light, they provide quantum systems withunmatched precision and control, opening up new possibilities for security and sensitivity inapplications like quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution, and quantum sensing.These sources are fundamental components of quantum computing, in which complicatedcomputations can be completed tenfold more quickly than with traditional computers thanks toqubits contained in single photons. To fully realize the promise of quantum technologies andtheir widespread application, single-photon source development and optimization mustcontinue. In the field of quantum technologies, increasing the spontaneous emission rate of a singlephoton source is important for multiple reasons. First of all, a higher emission rate results in amore effective production of single photons, which is necessary for applications like quantumkey distribution (QKD) that demand a high photon flux. A greater emission rate in QKDincreases the overall security and efficiency of quantum communication systems byguaranteeing a quicker and more dependable interchange of quantum information. All things considered, increasing the spontaneous emission rate of a single photon source iscritical to realizing the full promise of quantum technologies, facilitating quicker and moreeffective quantum computing, sensing, integrated photonics, and communication, and openingthe door for revolutionary developments across a range of industries. This thesis explores the impact of electromagnetic scattering on solid-state single photonemitters' spontaneous emission behavior. By applying sophisticated computational approachesand conducting a comprehensive literature analysis, the study seeks to confirm and reproduceprevious findings, expanding and solidifying our knowledge of basic principles andcomputational strategies in this field. Two different scatterer geometries, a sphere, and a cylinder, activated by a point dipoleapproximation that is frequently employed in quantum optics simulations are the subject of thiswork. The main goal is to thoroughly evaluate and validate previously published results, not topresent new physics, but to guarantee the stability and dependability of computational modelsin the study of interactions between light and matter.
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Modern communication in absolute secrecy requires creation of new intrinsically secure quantum communication channels. It is particularly necessary during the first connection between two parties establishing then in assumed unconditional security the secret cryptographic key which is supposed to be used afterwards during normal information exchanging. This new emerging field of quantum information technology is based on a new type of light sources, in which numbers of emitted photons can be carefully controlled. Especially advantageous are sources of single photons emitted at strictly predetermined moments, so called single-photon devices. Then any possible eavesdropper activity will be followed by some unavoidable disturbance which alerts both communication parties to an event. In the present paper, the Purcell effect associated with enhancement of spontaneous emission coupled to a resonator is explained, methods used to produce streams of antibunched photons are given, mechanisms applied to control carrier injection into quantum dots are shown and some possible designs of single-photon devices are presented and described. These devices are based on taking advantage of both the Purcell effect and the atom-like energy spectrum of quantum dots.
Photons are very promising resources for the whole field of quantum information processing. Bulk optics are currently not suitable for the realization of complex quantum optical schemes due to several drawbacks. The ongoing miniaturization of photonic structures due to the availability of sophisticated nanofabrication has provided huge opportunities for physical research of novel phenomena in nanophotonic systems and quantum technological applications. These include quantum information processing such as quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum metrology, and quantum sensing. Quantum communication is already quite advanced with several quantum key distribution (QKD) systems commercially available offering absolute security. Photonic quantum technologies are enabling breakthroughs in experimental tests of quantum physics and are close to practical applications of quantum technologies in imaging, secure communications, ultrasensitive metrology and quantum computing. There are several advantages to encoding a quantum bit onto a photon: the preparation and manipulation of single photons is easy, and the photonic qubit is a natural candidate for quantum imaging and communications. Furthermore, the qubit can be encoded in various degrees of freedom such as on the position, phase, time-bin, energy, angular momentum, polarization of the photon—or a combination of these. This flexibility leads to enormous opportunities for scientific exploration and in practical applications. This special issue on “Photonic Quantum Technologies” presents selected papers on photonic quantum systems from leading groups in the world. The articles represent a flavor of the cutting-edge research that is going on in this area. The studied material systems range from molecules to semiconductor quantum emitters. A major challenge is the design of telecom photon emitters with high efficiency, good yield, spectral purity, stability and the possibility of mass manufacture. We believe that this Special Issue will provide an overview of recent exciting developments in the field of photonic quantum technologies, serving to keep researchers up-to-date with the latest progress and spurring on new concepts in this field.
For any communication, the conveyed information must be carried by some physical system. If this system is a quantum system rather than a classical one, its behavior will be governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. Hence, the properties of quantum mechanics, such as superpositions and entanglement, are accessible, opening up new possibilities for transferring information. The exploration of these possibilities constitutes the field of quantum communication. The key ingredient in quantum communication is the qubit, a bit that can be in any superposition of 0 and 1, and that is carried by a quantum state. One possible physical realization of these quantum states is to use single photons. Hence, to explore the possibilities of optical quantum communication, photonic quantum states must be generated, transmitted, characterized, and detected with high precision. This thesis begins with the first of these steps: the implementation of single-photon sources generating photonic qubits. The sources are based on photon-pair generation in nonlinear crystals, and designed to be compatible with fiber optical communication systems. To ensure such a compatibility and to create a high-quality source, a theoretical analysis is made, optimizing the coupling of the photons into optical fibers. Based on the theoretical analysis, a heralded single-photon source and a two-crystal source of entangled photons-pairs are experimentally implemented. The source of entangled photons is further developed into a compact source with a narrow bandwidth compatible with standard telecommunication wavelength-division multiplexers, and even further developed to a more stable one-crystal source. The sources are to be used for quantum communication in general and quantum cryptography in particular. Specifically, a heralded single-photon source is implemented and then used for a full test of a decoy-state quantum cryptography protocol.