Showing papers by "ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences published in 2017"

Quantum machine learning

Abstract: Recent progress implies that a crossover between machine learning and quantum information processing benefits both fields. Traditional machine learning has dramatically improved the benchmarking an ...

Polaritons in layered two-dimensional materials

Abstract: In recent years, enhanced light-matter interactions through a plethora of dipole-type polaritonic excitations have been observed in two-dimensional (2D) layered materials. In graphene, electrically tunable and highly confined plasmon-polaritons were predicted and observed, opening up opportunities for optoelectronics, bio-sensing and other mid-infrared applications. In hexagonal boron nitride, low-loss infrared-active phonon-polaritons exhibit hyperbolic behaviour for some frequencies, allowing for ray-like propagation exhibiting high quality factors and hyperlensing effects. In transition metal dichalcogenides, reduced screening in the 2D limit leads to optically prominent excitons with large binding energy, with these polaritonic modes having been recently observed with scanning near-field optical microscopy. Here, we review recent progress in state-of-the-art experiments, and survey the vast library of polaritonic modes in 2D materials, their optical spectral properties, figures of merit and application space. Taken together, the emerging field of 2D material polaritonics and their hybrids provide enticing avenues for manipulating light-matter interactions across the visible, infrared to terahertz spectral ranges, with new optical control beyond what can be achieved using traditional bulk materials.

Broadband image sensor array based on graphene–CMOS integration

Abstract: Integrated circuits based on complementary metal-oxide–semiconductors (CMOS) are at the heart of the technological revolution of the past 40 years, enabling compact and low-cost microelectronic circuits and imaging systems However, the diversification of this platform into applications other than microcircuits and visible-light cameras has been impeded by the difficulty to combine semiconductors other than silicon with CMOS Here, we report the monolithic integration of a CMOS integrated circuit with graphene, operating as a high-mobility phototransistor We demonstrate a high-resolution, broadband image sensor and operate it as a digital camera that is sensitive to ultraviolet, visible and infrared light (300–2,000 nm) The demonstrated graphene–CMOS integration is pivotal for incorporating 2D materials into the next-generation microelectronics, sensor arrays, low-power integrated photonics and CMOS imaging systems covering visible, infrared and terahertz frequencies Graphene–quantum dots on CMOS sensor offers broadband imaging

Quantum steering: A review with focus on semidefinite programming

Abstract: Quantum steering refers to the non-classical correlations that can be observed between the outcomes of measurements applied on half of an entangled state and the resulting post-measured states that are left with the other party. From an operational point of view, a steering test can be seen as an entanglement test where one of the parties performs uncharacterised measurements. Thus, quantum steering is a form of quantum inseparability that lies in between the well-known notions of Bell nonlocality and entanglement. Moreover, quantum steering is also related to several asymmetric quantum information protocols where some of the parties are considered untrusted. Because of these facts, quantum steering has received a lot of attention both theoretically and experimentally. The main goal of this review is to give an overview of how to characterise quantum steering through semidefinite programming. This characterisation provides efficient numerical methods to address a number of problems, including steering detection, quantification, and applications. We also give a brief overview of some important results that are not directly related to semidefinite programming. Finally, we make available a collection of semidefinite programming codes that can be used to study the topics discussed in this article.

Exponential Improvement in Photon Storage Fidelities Using Subradiance and “Selective Radiance” in Atomic Arrays

Abstract: A central goal within quantum optics is to realize efficient, controlled interactions between photons and atomic media. A fundamental limit in nearly all applications based on such systems arises from spontaneous emission, in which photons are absorbed by atoms and then rescattered into undesired channels. In typical theoretical treatments of atomic ensembles, it is assumed that this rescattering occurs independently, and at a rate given by a single isolated atom, which in turn gives rise to standard limits of fidelity in applications such as quantum memories for light or photonic quantum gates. However, this assumption can in fact be dramatically violated. In particular, it has long been known that spontaneous emission of a collective atomic excitation can be significantly suppressed through strong interference in emission between atoms. While this concept of “subradiance” is not new, thus far the techniques to exploit the effect have not been well understood. In this work, we provide a comprehensive treatment of this problem. First, we show that in ordered atomic arrays in free space, subradiant states acquire an elegant interpretation in terms of optical modes that are guided by the array, which only emit due to scattering from the ends of the finite system. We also go beyond the typically studied regime of a single atomic excitation and elucidate the properties of subradiant states in the many-excitation limit. Finally, we introduce the new concept of “selective radiance.” Whereas subradiant states experience a reduced coupling to all optical modes, selectively radiant states are tailored to simultaneously radiate efficiently into a desired channel while scattering into undesired channels is suppressed, thus enabling an enhanced atom-light interface. We show that these states naturally appear in chains of atoms coupled to nanophotonic structures, and we analyze the performance of photon storage exploiting such states. We find numerically that selectively radiant states allow for a photon storage error that scales exponentially better with the number of atoms than previously known bounds.

A MoTe2-based light-emitting diode and photodetector for silicon photonic integrated circuits

Abstract: One of the current challenges in photonics is developing high-speed, power-efficient, chip-integrated optical communications devices to address the interconnects bottleneck in high-speed computing systems. Silicon photonics has emerged as a leading architecture, in part because of the promise that many components, such as waveguides, couplers, interferometers and modulators, could be directly integrated on silicon-based processors. However, light sources and photodetectors present ongoing challenges. Common approaches for light sources include one or few off-chip or wafer-bonded lasers based on III-V materials, but recent system architecture studies show advantages for the use of many directly modulated light sources positioned at the transmitter location. The most advanced photodetectors in the silicon photonic process are based on germanium, but this requires additional germanium growth, which increases the system cost. The emerging two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer a path for optical interconnect components that can be integrated with silicon photonics and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) processing by back-end-of-the-line steps. Here, we demonstrate a silicon waveguide-integrated light source and photodetector based on a p-n junction of bilayer MoTe2, a TMD semiconductor with an infrared bandgap. This state-of-the-art fabrication technology provides new opportunities for integrated optoelectronic systems.

Detection of Zak phases and topological invariants in a chiral quantum walk of twisted photons

Abstract: Topological insulators are fascinating states of matter exhibiting protected edge states and robust quantized features in their bulk Here we propose and validate experimentally a method to detect topological properties in the bulk of one-dimensional chiral systems We first introduce the mean chiral displacement, an observable that rapidly approaches a value proportional to the Zak phase during the free evolution of the system Then we measure the Zak phase in a photonic quantum walk of twisted photons, by observing the mean chiral displacement in its bulk Next, we measure the Zak phase in an alternative, inequivalent timeframe and combine the two windings to characterize the full phase diagram of this Floquet system Finally, we prove the robustness of the measure by introducing dynamical disorder in the system This detection method is extremely general and readily applicable to all present one-dimensional platforms simulating static or Floquet chiral systems The detection of topological invariants in the bulk remains challenging even in state-of-the-art experiments Here, Cardanoet al propose a method to read-out the Zak phases and topological invariants in one-dimensional chiral systems and detect those in a photonic quantum walk of twisted photons

Tuning quantum nonlocal effects in graphene plasmonics

Abstract: The response of electron systems to electrodynamic fields that change rapidly in space is endowed by unique features, including an exquisite spatial nonlocality This can reveal much about the materials’ electronic structure that is invisible in standard probes that use gradually varying fields Here, we use graphene plasmons, propagating at extremely slow velocities close to the electron Fermi velocity, to probe the nonlocal response of the graphene electron liquid The near-field imaging experiments reveal a parameter-free match with the full quantum description of the massless Dirac electron gas, which involves three types of nonlocal quantum effects: single-particle velocity matching, interaction-enhanced Fermi velocity, and interaction-reduced compressibility Our experimental approach can determine the full spatiotemporal response of an electron system

Acoustic terahertz graphene plasmons revealed by photocurrent nanoscopy

Abstract: Near-field photocurrent nanoscopy is used for imaging strongly confined terahertz graphene plasmons with linear dispersion.

Near-Unity Photoluminescence Quantum Yield in CsPbBr3 Nanocrystal Solid-State Films via Postsynthesis Treatment with Lead Bromide

Abstract: Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) possess high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (PL) and color tunability. Yet, until now, it has been difficult to maintain the high PL observed in solution in spin-coated films. Here, we report a novel CsPbBr3 NCs room-temperature synthesis based on Cs acetate, which displays near-unity PL in solid-state films upon post-synthetic treatment with lead bromide. The as-synthesized NCs show a PL of 80% in spin-coated films but the post-synthesis treatment further enhances the efficiency >95%. The high PL is further confirmed by the monomolecular decay of the PL (5.8 ns) indicating a nearly complete suppression of non-radiative channels. The obtained films demonstrate high stability in air and require around 3 weeks to decrease to half the initial PL value.

Attosecond physics at the nanoscale

Abstract: Recently two emerging areas of research, attosecond and nanoscale physics, have started to come together. Attosecond physics deals with phenomena occurring when ultrashort laser pulses, with duration on the femto-and sub-femtosecondtime scales, interact with atoms, molecules or solids. The laser-induced electron dynamics occurs natively on a timescale down to a few hundred or even tens of attoseconds (1 attosecond = 1 as = 10-(18)s), which is comparable with the optical field. For comparison, the revolution of an electron on a 1s orbital of a hydrogen atom is similar to 152 as. On the other hand, the second branch involves the manipulation and engineering of mesoscopic systems, such as solids, metals and dielectrics, with nanometric precision. Although nano-engineering is a vast and well-established research field on its own, the merger with intense laser physics is relatively recent. In this report on progress we present a comprehensive experimental and theoretical overview of physics that takes place when short and intense laser pulses interact with nanosystems, such as metallic and dielectric nanostructures. In particular we elucidate how the spatially inhomogeneous laser induced fields at a nanometer scale modify the laser- driven electron dynamics. Consequently, this has important impact on pivotal processes such as above-threshold ionization and high-order harmonic generation. The deep understanding of the coupled dynamics between these spatially inhomogeneous fields and matter configures a promising way to new avenues of research and applications. Thanks to the maturity that attosecond physics has reached, together with the tremendous advance in material engineering and manipulation techniques, the age of atto-nanophysics has begun, but it is in the initial stage. We present thus some of the open questions, challenges and prospects for experimental confirmation of theoretical predictions, as well as experiments aimed at characterizing the induced fields and the unique electron dynamics initiated by them with high temporal and spatial resolution.

MoS2-HgTe Quantum Dot Hybrid Photodetectors beyond 2 µm

Abstract: Mercury telluride (HgTe) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have been developed as promising materials for the short and mid-wave infrared photodetection applications because of their low cost, solution processing, and size tunable absorption in the short wave and mid-infrared spectrum. However, the low mobility and poor photogain have limited the responsivity of HgTe CQD-based photodetectors to only tens of mA W-1 . Here, HgTe CQDs are integrated on a TiO2 encapsulated MoS2 transistor channel to form hybrid phototransistors with high responsivity of ≈106 A W-1 , the highest reported to date for HgTe QDs. By operating the phototransistor in the depletion regime enabled by the gate modulated current of MoS2 , the noise current is significantly suppressed, leading to an experimentally measured specific detectivity D* of ≈1012 Jones at a wavelength of 2 µm. This work demonstrates for the first time the potential of the hybrid 2D/QD detector technology in reaching out to wavelengths beyond 2 µm with compelling sensitivity.

Repulsive Fermi Polarons in a Resonant Mixture of Ultracold ^{6}Li Atoms.

Abstract: We employ radio-frequency spectroscopy to investigate a polarized spin mixture of ultracold ^{6}Li atoms close to a broad Feshbach scattering resonance. Focusing on the regime of strong repulsive interactions, we observe well-defined coherent quasiparticles even for unitarity-limited interactions. We characterize the many-body system by extracting the key properties of repulsive Fermi polarons: the energy E_{+}, the effective mass m^{*}, the residue Z, and the decay rate Γ. Above a critical interaction, E_{+} is found to exceed the Fermi energy of the bath, while m^{*} diverges and even turns negative, thereby indicating that the repulsive Fermi liquid state becomes energetically and thermodynamically unstable.

Topological Quantum Optics in Two-Dimensional Atomic Arrays

Abstract: We demonstrate that two-dimensional atomic emitter arrays with subwavelength spacing constitute topologically protected quantum optical systems where the photon propagation is robust against large imperfections while losses associated with free space emission are strongly suppressed. Breaking time-reversal symmetry with a magnetic field results in gapped photonic bands with nontrivial Chern numbers and topologically protected, long-lived edge states. Due to the inherent nonlinearity of constituent emitters, such systems provide a platform for exploring quantum optical analogs of interacting topological systems.

Colloidal heat engines: a review

Abstract: Stochastic heat engines can be built using colloidal particles trapped using optical tweezers. Here we review recent experimental realizations of microscopic heat engines. We first revisit the theoretical framework of stochastic thermodynamics that allows to describe the fluctuating behavior of the energy fluxes that occur at mesoscopic scales, and then discuss recent implementations of the colloidal equivalents to the macroscopic Stirling, Carnot and steam engines. These small-scale motors exhibit unique features in terms of power and efficiency fluctuations that have no equivalent in the macroscopic world. We also consider a second pathway for work extraction from colloidal engines operating between active bacterial reservoirs at different temperatures, which could significantly boost the performance of passive heat engines at the mesoscale. Finally, we provide some guidance on how the work extracted from colloidal heat engines can be used to generate net particle or energy currents, proposing a new generation of experiments with colloidal systems.

Inducing superconducting correlation in quantum Hall edge states

Abstract: The quantum Hall (QH) effect supports a set of chiral edge states at the boundary of a two-dimensional system. A superconductor (SC) contacting these states can provide correlations of the quasiparticles in the dissipationless edge states. Here we fabricated highly transparent and nanometre-scale SC junctions to graphene. We demonstrate that the QH edge states can couple via superconducting correlations through the SC electrode narrower than the superconducting coherence length. We observe that the chemical potential of the edge state exhibits a sign reversal across the SC electrode. This provides direct evidence of conversion of the incoming electron to the outgoing hole along the chiral edge state, termed crossed Andreev conversion (CAC). We show that CAC can successfully describe the temperature, bias and SC electrode width dependences. This hybrid SC/QH system could provide a novel route to create isolated non-Abelian anyonic zero modes, in resonance with the chiral edge states. A superconductor–graphene junction is shown to exhibit the quantum Hall effect, with the chemical potential of the edge state displaying a sign reversal. Such a system could provide a platform for observing isolated non-Abelian anyonic zero modes.

No-Go Theorem for the Characterization of Work Fluctuations in Coherent Quantum Systems.

Abstract: The operator of work in quantum thermodynamics is incompatible with quantum mechanics, which is why the correspondence principle has to be critically examined whenever work is involved.

On-a-chip Biosensing Based on All-Dielectric Nanoresonators

Abstract: Nanophotonics has become a key enabling technology in biomedicine with great promises in early diagnosis and less invasive therapies. In this context, the unique capability of plasmonic noble metal nanoparticles to concentrate light on the nanometer scale has widely contributed to biosensing and enhanced spectroscopy. Recently, high-refractive index dielectric nanostructures featuring low loss resonances have been proposed as a promising alternative to nanoplasmonics, potentially offering better sensing performances along with full compatibility with the microelectronics industry. In this letter we report the first demonstration of biosensing with silicon nanoresonators integrated in state-of-the-art microfluidics. Our lab-on-a-chip platform enables detecting Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) cancer marker in human serum with a sensitivity that meets clinical needs. These performances are directly compared with its plasmonic counterpart based on gold nanorods. Our work opens new opportunities in the develop...

High average power and single-cycle pulses from a mid-IR optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier

Abstract: In attosecond and strong-field physics, the acquisition of data in an acceptable time demands the combination of high peak power with high average power. We report a 21 W mid-IR optical parametric chirped pulse amplifier (OPCPA) that generates 131 μJ and 97 fs (sub-9-cycle) pulses at a 160 kHz repetition rate and at a center wavelength of 3.25 μm. Pulse-to-pulse stability of the carrier envelope phase (CEP)-stable output is excellent with a 0.33% rms over 288 million pulses (30 min) and compression close to a single optical cycle was achieved through soliton self-compression inside a gas-filled mid-IR antiresonant-guiding photonic crystal fiber. Without any additional compression device, stable generation of 14.5 fs (1.35-optical-cycle) pulses was achieved at an average power of 9.6 W. The resulting peak power of 3.9 GW in combination with the near-single-cycle duration and intrinsic CEP stability makes our OPCPA a key-enabling technology for the next generation of extreme photonics, strong-field attosecond research, and coherent x-ray science.

Graphene-based, mid-infrared, room-temperature pyroelectric bolometers with ultrahigh temperature coefficient of resistance

Abstract: There is a growing number of applications demanding highly sensitive photodetectors in the mid-infrared. Thermal photodetectors, such as bolometers, have emerged as the technology of choice, because they do not need cooling. The performance of a bolometer is linked to its temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR, ∼2–4% K−1 for state-of-the-art materials). Graphene is ideally suited for optoelectronic applications, with a variety of reported photodetectors ranging from visible to THz frequencies. For the mid-infrared, graphene-based detectors with TCRs ∼4–11% K−1 have been demonstrated. Here we present an uncooled, mid-infrared photodetector, where the pyroelectric response of a LiNbO3 crystal is transduced with high gain (up to 200) into resistivity modulation for graphene. This is achieved by fabricating a floating metallic structure that concentrates the pyroelectric charge on the top-gate capacitor of the graphene channel, leading to TCRs up to 900% K−1, and the ability to resolve temperature variations down to 15 μK. There is emerging interest in photodetectors in the mid-infrared driven by increasing need to monitor the environment for security and healthcare purposes. Sassiet al. show a thermal photodetector, based on the coupling between graphene and a pyroelectric crystal, which shows high temperature sensitivity.

Ultrasensitive all-2D MoS 2 phototransistors enabled by an out-of-plane MoS 2 PN homojunction

Abstract: Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide-based photodetectors have demonstrated potential for the next generation of 2-dimensional optoelectronics. However, to date, their sensitivity has not been superior to that of other technologies. Here we report an ultrasensitive two-dimensional photodetector employing an in-plane phototransistor with an out-of-plane vertical MoS2 p–n junction as a sensitizing scheme. The vertical built-in field is introduced for the first time in the transport channel of MoS2 phototransistors by facile chemical surface doping, which separates the photo-excited carriers efficiently and produces a photoconductive gain of >105 electrons per photon, external quantum efficiency greater than 10%, responsivity of 7 × 104 A W−1, and a time response on the order of tens of ms. This taken together with a very low noise power density yields a record sensitivity with specific detectivity $$D^*$$ of 3.5 × 1014 Jones in the visible and a broadband response up to 1000 nm. Photodetectors based on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit ever increasingly competitive performance, yet not superior to that of alternative technologies. Here, the authors devise a MoS2-based phototransistor with an out-of-plane junction, yielding a record detectivity combined with broadband response.

Thermoelectric detection and imaging of propagating graphene plasmons

Abstract: Controlling, detecting and generating propagating plasmons by all-electrical means is at the heart of on-chip nano-optical processing. Graphene carries long-lived plasmons that are extremely confined and controllable by electrostatic fields; however, electrical detection of propagating plasmons in graphene has not yet been realized. Here, we present an all-graphene mid-infrared plasmon detector operating at room temperature, where a single graphene sheet serves simultaneously as the plasmonic medium and detector. Rather than achieving detection via added optoelectronic materials, as is typically done in other plasmonic systems, our device converts the natural decay product of the plasmon-electronic heat-directly into a voltage through the thermoelectric effect. We employ two local gates to fully tune the thermoelectric and plasmonic behaviour of the graphene. High-resolution real-space photocurrent maps are used to investigate the plasmon propagation and interference, decay, thermal diffusion, and thermoelectric generation.

Energy-dependent path of dissipation in nanomechanical resonators

Abstract: Energy decay plays a central role in a wide range of phenomena, such as optical emission, nuclear fission, and dissipation in quantum systems. Energy decay is usually described as a system leaking energy irreversibly into an environmental bath. Here, we report on energy decay measurements in nanomechanical systems based on multilayer graphene that cannot be explained by the paradigm of a system directly coupled to a bath. As the energy of a vibrational mode freely decays, the rate of energy decay changes abruptly to a lower value. This finding can be explained by a model where the measured mode hybridizes with other modes of the resonator at high energy. Below a threshold energy, modes are decoupled, resulting in comparatively low decay rates and giant quality factors exceeding 1 million. Our work opens up new possibilities to manipulate vibrational states, engineer hybrid states with mechanical modes at completely different frequencies, and to study the collective motion of this highly tunable system.

Photonic quantum state transfer between a cold atomic gas and a crystal

Abstract: In a step towards hybrid quantum networks, a quantum state can be transferred between two fundamentally different systems—a cold atomic ensemble and a solid-state crystal—by a single photon. As work on quantum networks continues apace, attention is being focused on the tools and techniques for integrating different quantum platforms to harness the distinct benefits of each. Nicolas Maring et al. now report an important step in the development of such a hybrid network. They demonstrate how a quantum state initially stored in a cold atomic ensemble can be faithfully transferred to a solid-state storage medium—a rare-earth-doped crystal—from where it can subsequently be recovered. Interfacing fundamentally different quantum systems is key to building future hybrid quantum networks1. Such heterogeneous networks offer capabilities superior to those of their homogeneous counterparts, as they merge the individual advantages of disparate quantum nodes in a single network architecture2. However, few investigations of optical hybrid interconnections have been carried out, owing to fundamental and technological challenges such as wavelength and bandwidth matching of the interfacing photons. Here we report optical quantum interconnection of two disparate matter quantum systems with photon storage capabilities. We show that a quantum state can be transferred faithfully between a cold atomic ensemble3,4 and a rare-earth-doped crystal5,6,7,8 by means of a single photon at 1,552 nanometre telecommunication wavelength, using cascaded quantum frequency conversion. We demonstrate that quantum correlations between a photon and a single collective spin excitation in the cold atomic ensemble can be transferred to the solid-state system. We also show that single-photon time-bin qubits generated in the cold atomic ensemble can be converted, stored and retrieved from the crystal with a conditional qubit fidelity of more than 85 per cent. Our results open up the prospect of optically connecting quantum nodes with different capabilities and represent an important step towards the realization of large-scale hybrid quantum networks.

Double-layer graphene for enhanced tunable infrared plasmonics.

Abstract: Graphene is emerging as a promising material for photonic applications owing to its unique optoelectronic properties Graphene supports tunable, long-lived and extremely confined plasmons that have great potential for applications such as biosensing and optical communications However, in order to excite plasmonic resonances in graphene, this material requires a high doping level, which is challenging to achieve without degrading carrier mobility and stability Here, we demonstrate that the infrared plasmonic response of a graphene multilayer stack is analogous to that of a highly doped single layer of graphene, preserving mobility and supporting plasmonic resonances with higher oscillator strength than previously explored single-layer devices Particularly, we find that the optically equivalent carrier density in multilayer graphene is larger than the sum of those in the individual layers Furthermore, electrostatic biasing in multilayer graphene is enhanced with respect to single layer due to the redistribution of carriers over different layers, thus extending the spectral tuning range of the plasmonic structure The superior effective doping and improved tunability of multilayer graphene stacks should enable a plethora of future infrared plasmonic devices with high optical performance and wide tunability

Theory of graphene saturable absorption

Abstract: Saturable absorption is a nonperturbative nonlinear optical phenomenon that plays a pivotal role in the generation of ultrafast light pulses. Here we show that this effect emerges in graphene at unprecedentedly low light intensities, thus opening avenues to new nonlinear physics and applications in optical technology. Specifically, we theoretically investigate saturable absorption in extended graphene by developing a semianalytical nonperturbative single-particle approach, describing electron dynamics in the atomically-thin material using the two-dimensional Dirac equation for massless Dirac fermions, which is recast in the form of generalized Bloch equations. By solving the electron dynamics nonperturbatively, we account for both interband and intraband contributions to the intensity-dependent saturated conductivity and conclude that the former dominates regardless of the intrinsic doping state of the material. We obtain results in qualitative agreement with atomistic quantum-mechanical simulations of graphene nanoribbons including electron-electron interactions, finite-size, and higher-band effects. Remarkably, such effects are found to affect mainly the linear absorption, while the predicted saturation intensities are in good quantitative agreement in the limit of extended graphene. Additionally, we find that the modulation depth of saturable absorption in graphene can be electrically manipulated through an externally applied gate voltage. Our results are relevant for the development of graphene-based optoelectronic devices, as well as for applications in mode-locking and random lasers.

Atom-light interactions in quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures: A Green's-function perspective

Abstract: Based on a formalism that describes atom-light interactions in terms of the classical electromagnetic Green's function, we study the optical response of atoms and other quantum emitters coupled to one-dimensional photonic structures, such as cavities, waveguides, and photonic crystals. We demonstrate a clear mapping between the transmission spectra and the local Green's function, identifying signatures of dispersive and dissipative interactions between atoms. We also demonstrate the applicability of our analysis to problems involving three-level atoms, such as electromagnetically induced transparency. Finally we examine recent experiments, and anticipate future observations of atom-atom interactions in photonic band gaps.

Genuine quantum coherence

Abstract: The basis of any quantum resource theory are free states and free operations, these are states and operations which can be created or performed at no cost. In the resource theory of quantum coherence free states are states which are diagonal in a fixed reference basis. This choice is natural in many experimental scenarios where the reference basis is singled out by the unavoidable decoherence. The corresponding free operations are called incoherent, they can be implemented as a generalized measurement which does not create any coherence. However, a general quantum operation admits different experimental realizations, and a quantum operation which seems incoherent in one experimental realization might create coherence in another. Starting from this observation, we propose the framework of genuine quantum coherence. This approach is based on a simple principle: we demand that a genuinely incoherent operation preserves all incoherent states. This simple condition automatically guarantees that the operation is incoherent regardless of the particular experimental realization. Among other resultswe introduce and study the task of incoherent remote state preparation and compare our approach to the framework of quantum thermodynamics and the resource theory of asymmetry. Remarkably, we also show that the Hilbert-Schmidt distance to the set of incoherent states is a faithful measure of genuine coherence.

Optimization of Nanoparticle-Based SERS Substrates through Large-Scale Realistic Simulations

Abstract: Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has become a widely used spectroscopic technique for chemical identification, providing unbeaten sensitivity down to the single-molecule level. The amplification of the optical near field produced by collective electron excitations —plasmons— in nanostructured metal surfaces gives rise to a dramatic increase by many orders of magnitude in the Raman scattering intensities from neighboring molecules. This effect strongly depends on the detailed geometry and composition of the plasmon-supporting metallic structures. However, the search for optimized SERS substrates has largely relied on empirical data, due in part to the complexity of the structures, whose simulation becomes prohibitively demanding. In this work, we use state-of-the-art electromagnetic computation techniques to produce predictive simulations for a wide range of nanoparticle-based SERS substrates, including realistic configurations consisting of random arrangements of hundreds of nanoparticles with var...