The interaction of matter and light is one of the fundamental processes occurring in nature, and its most elementary form is realized when a single atom interacts with a single photon. Reaching this regime has been a major focus of research in atomic physics and quantum optics1 for several decades and has generated the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics2,3. Here we perform an experiment in which a superconducting two-level system, playing the role of an artificial atom, is coupled to an on-chip cavity consisting of a superconducting transmission line resonator. We show that the strong coupling regime can be attained in a solid-state system, and we experimentally observe the coherent interaction of a superconducting two-level system with a single microwave photon. The concept of circuit quantum electrodynamics opens many new possibilities for studying the strong interaction of light and matter. This system can also be exploited for quantum information processing and quantum communication and may lead to new approaches for single photon generation and detection.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/cond-mat/0407325.pdf

Strong coupling of a single photon to a superconducting qubit using circuit quantum electrodynamics

The electronic and optical properties and the recent progress in applications of 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides with emphasis on strong excitonic effects, and spin- and valley-dependent properties are reviewed. Recent advances in the development of atomically thin layers of van der Waals bonded solids have opened up new possibilities for the exploration of 2D physics as well as for materials for applications. Among them, semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides, MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se), have bandgaps in the near-infrared to the visible region, in contrast to the zero bandgap of graphene. In the monolayer limit, these materials have been shown to possess direct bandgaps, a property well suited for photonics and optoelectronics applications. Here, we review the electronic and optical properties and the recent progress in applications of 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides with emphasis on strong excitonic effects, and spin- and valley-dependent properties.

Photonics and optoelectronics of 2D semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenides

Phase transitions to quantum condensed phases—such as Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC), superfluidity, and superconductivity—have long fascinated scientists, as they bring pure quantum effects to a macroscopic scale. BEC has, for example, famously been demonstrated in dilute atom gas of rubidium atoms at temperatures below 200 nanokelvin. Much effort has been devoted to finding a solid-state system in which BEC can take place. Promising candidate systems are semiconductor microcavities, in which photons are confined and strongly coupled to electronic excitations, leading to the creation of exciton polaritons. These bosonic quasi-particles are 109 times lighter than rubidium atoms, thus theoretically permitting BEC to occur at standard cryogenic temperatures. Here we detail a comprehensive set of experiments giving compelling evidence for BEC of polaritons. Above a critical density, we observe massive occupation of the ground state developing from a polariton gas at thermal equilibrium at 19 K, an increase of temporal coherence, and the build-up of long-range spatial coherence and linear polarization, all of which indicate the spontaneous onset of a macroscopic quantum phase. Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC), a form of matter first postulated in 1924, has famously been demonstrated in dilute atomic gases at ultra-low temperatures. Much effort is now being devoted to exploring solid-state systems in which BEC can occur. In theory semiconductor microcavities, where photons are confined and coupled to electronic excitations leading to the creation of polaritons, could allow BEC at standard cryogenic temperatures. Kasprzak et al. now present experiments in which polaritons are excited in such a microcavity. Above a critical polariton density, spontaneous onset of a macroscopic quantum phase occurs, indicating a solid-state BEC. BEC should also be possible at higher temperatures if coupling of light with solid excitations is sufficiently strong. Demokritov et al. have achieved just that, BEC at room temperature in a gas of magnons, which are a type of magnetic excitation. This paper presents a comprehensive set of experiments in which polaritons are excited in a semiconductor microcavity. Above a critical density of polaritons, massive occupation of the ground state at 19 K is observed and various pieces of experimental evidence point to a spontaneous onset of a macroscopic quantum phase.

Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons

Cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems allow the study of a variety of fundamental quantum-optics phenomena, such as entanglement, quantum decoherence and the quantum–classical boundary. Such systems also provide test beds for quantum information science. Nearly all strongly coupled cavity QED experiments have used a single atom in a high-quality-factor (high-Q) cavity. Here we report the experimental realization of a strongly coupled system in the solid state: a single quantum dot embedded in the spacer of a nanocavity, showing vacuum-field Rabi splitting exceeding the decoherence linewidths of both the nanocavity and the quantum dot. This requires a small-volume cavity and an atomic-like two-level system. The photonic crystal slab nanocavity—which traps photons when a defect is introduced inside the two-dimensional photonic bandgap by leaving out one or more holes—has both high Q and small modal volume V, as required for strong light–matter interactions. The quantum dot has two discrete energy levels with a transition dipole moment much larger than that of an atom, and it is fixed in the nanocavity during growth.

Vacuum Rabi splitting with a single quantum dot in a photonic crystal nanocavity

1. Introduction and overview 2. Film stress and substrate curvature 3. Stress in anisotropic and patterned films 4. Delamination and fracture 5. Film buckling, bulging and peeling 6. Dislocation formation in epitaxial systems 7. Dislocation interactions and strain relaxation 8. Equilibrium and stability of surfaces 9. The role of stress in mass transport.

Thin Film Materials: Stress, Defect Formation and Surface Evolution

The spectral response of a monolithic semiconductor quantum microcavity with quantum wells as the active medium displays mode splitting when the quantum wells and the optical cavity are in resonance. This effect can be seen as the Rabi vacuum-field splitting of the quantum-well excitons, or more classically as the normal-mode splitting of coupled oscillators, the excitons, and the electromagnetic field of the microcavity. An exciton oscillator strength of 4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{12}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$ is deduced for 76-\AA{} quantum wells.

Observation of the coupled exciton-photon mode splitting in a semiconductor quantum microcavity.

Comparison of near-field and far-field photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra gives new insight into the carrier relaxation process in InGaAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots. The near-field PLE spectra of single quantum dots clearly show 2D-like continuum states and a number of sharp lines, between a large zero-absorption region due to the quasi-0D density of states and the 2D wetting layer absorption edge. The results reveal an efficient intradot relaxation mechanism, proceeding as follows: The carriers can relax easily within continuum states, and make transitions to the excitonic ground state by resonant emission of localized phonons.

Efficient carrier relaxation mechanism in ingaas/gaas self-assembled quantum dots based on the existence of continuum states

We demonstrated the 1.52 μm light emission at room temperature from self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded in the In0.45Ga0.55As strain-reducing layer. By capping InAs quantum dots with an InGaAs strain-reducing layer instead of GaAs, the photoluminescence peak of InAs quantum dots can be controlled by changing the indium composition of the InGaAs strain-reducing layer. The full width at half maximum is as narrow as 22 meV. The wavelength of 1.52 μm is the longest wavelength so far achieved in self-assembled InAs quantum dots, which would be promising to quantum-dot lasers on GaAs substrate for application to light sources in long-wavelength optical communication systems.

Over 1.5 μm light emission from InAs quantum dots embedded in InGaAs strain-reducing layer grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We report the fabrication of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) with enhanced photocurrent and no degradation in open circuit voltage (VOC) compared to a solar cell grown without QDs and composed solely of wetting layers. Notably, the achievement of such high VOC does not require electronic coupling. We report QDSCs with a light absorption range extended up to 1.3 μm and evidence a trade-off between VOC and QD ground-state energy. These results are of major significance to the design of high efficiency QDSCs.

Fabrication of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells with enhanced photocurrent and without degradation of open circuit voltage

We report on the first demonstration of the coupling of fully confined electrons and photons using a combination of three-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavities and quantum dots. The three dimensional photonic crystals were assembled by stacking planar components using a sophisticated micromanipulation technique. Point defects, containing embedded quantum dots, were introduced into the photonic crystals as active sites. By measuring the photoluminescence spectra of the assembly, the process by which light emitted from the quantum dots is coupled to the defect modes of a three dimensional photonic crystal was demonstrated for the first time. The characteristics of the sharp emission peaks agreed well with numerical simulations, and these were confirmed to be resonant modes by polarization measurements. The highest quality factor (Q-factor) for three dimensional photonic crystals (2,300) was achieved.

Masao Nishioka

Papers

Observation of the coupled exciton-photon mode splitting in a semiconductor quantum microcavity.

Efficient carrier relaxation mechanism in ingaas/gaas self-assembled quantum dots based on the existence of continuum states

Over 1.5 μm light emission from InAs quantum dots embedded in InGaAs strain-reducing layer grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Fabrication of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells with enhanced photocurrent and without degradation of open circuit voltage

Coupling of quantum-dot light emission with a three-dimensional photonic-crystal nanocavity