Pub Date : 2020-09-11DOI: 10.1103/physrevapplied.14.044017
Simon J U White, Ngoc M H Duong, A. Solntsev, Je‐Hyung Kim, M. Kianinia, I. Aharonovich
Resonant excitation of solid-state quantum emitters enables coherent control of quantum states and generation of coherent single photons, which are required for scalable quantum photonics applications. However, these systems can often decay to one or more intermediate dark states or spectrally jump, resulting in the lack of photons on resonance. Here, we present an optical co-excitation scheme which uses a weak non-resonant laser to reduce transitions to a dark state and amplify the photoluminescence from quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Utilizing a two-laser repumping scheme, we achieve optically stable resonance fluorescence of hBN emitters and an overall increase of ON time by an order of magnitude compared to only resonant excitation. Our results are important for the deployment of atom-like defects in hBN as reliable building blocks for quantum photonic applications.
{"title":"Optical Repumping of Resonantly Excited Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride","authors":"Simon J U White, Ngoc M H Duong, A. Solntsev, Je‐Hyung Kim, M. Kianinia, I. Aharonovich","doi":"10.1103/physrevapplied.14.044017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevapplied.14.044017","url":null,"abstract":"Resonant excitation of solid-state quantum emitters enables coherent control of quantum states and generation of coherent single photons, which are required for scalable quantum photonics applications. However, these systems can often decay to one or more intermediate dark states or spectrally jump, resulting in the lack of photons on resonance. Here, we present an optical co-excitation scheme which uses a weak non-resonant laser to reduce transitions to a dark state and amplify the photoluminescence from quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Utilizing a two-laser repumping scheme, we achieve optically stable resonance fluorescence of hBN emitters and an overall increase of ON time by an order of magnitude compared to only resonant excitation. Our results are important for the deployment of atom-like defects in hBN as reliable building blocks for quantum photonic applications.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130058753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Khurgin, Y. Sebbag, Eitan Edrei, R. Zektzer, K. Shastri, U. Levy, F. Monticone
Non-Hermitian systems have recently attracted significant attention in photonics. One of the hallmarks of these systems is the possibility of realizing asymmetric mode switching and omnipolarizer action through the dynamic encirclement of exceptional points (EP). Here, we offer a new perspective on the operating principle of these devices, and we theoretically show that asymmetric mode switching can be easily realized with the same performance and limitations, using simple configurations that emulate the physics involved in encircling EPs without the complexity of actual encirclement schemes. The proposed concept of 'encirclement emulators' may allow a better assessment of practical applications of non-Hermitian photonics.
{"title":"Emulating exceptional-point encirclements using imperfect (leaky) photonic components: asymmetric mode-switching and omni-polarizer action","authors":"J. Khurgin, Y. Sebbag, Eitan Edrei, R. Zektzer, K. Shastri, U. Levy, F. Monticone","doi":"10.1364/OPTICA.412981","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.412981","url":null,"abstract":"Non-Hermitian systems have recently attracted significant attention in photonics. One of the hallmarks of these systems is the possibility of realizing asymmetric mode switching and omnipolarizer action through the dynamic encirclement of exceptional points (EP). Here, we offer a new perspective on the operating principle of these devices, and we theoretically show that asymmetric mode switching can be easily realized with the same performance and limitations, using simple configurations that emulate the physics involved in encircling EPs without the complexity of actual encirclement schemes. The proposed concept of 'encirclement emulators' may allow a better assessment of practical applications of non-Hermitian photonics.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129769102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-09-04DOI: 10.1103/PHYSREVB.103.085433
M. Uemoto, Shintaro Kurata, Norihito Kawaguchi, K. Yabana
We theoretically investigate ultrafast and nonlinear optical properties of graphite thin films based on first-principles time-dependent density functional theory. We first calculate electron dynamics in a unit cell of graphite under a strong pulsed electric field and explore the transient optical properties of graphite. It is shown that the optical response of graphite shows a sudden change from conducting to insulating phase at a certain intensity range of the applied electric field. It also appears as a saturable absorption, the saturation in the energy transfer from the electric field to electrons. We next investigate a light propagation in graphite thin films by solving coupled dynamics of the electrons and the electromagnetic fields simultaneously. It is observed that the saturable absorption manifests in the propagation with small attenuation in the spatial region where the electric field amplitude is about $4 sim 7 times 10^{-2}$ V/Angstrom.
{"title":"First-principles study of ultrafast and nonlinear optical properties of graphite thin films","authors":"M. Uemoto, Shintaro Kurata, Norihito Kawaguchi, K. Yabana","doi":"10.1103/PHYSREVB.103.085433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.103.085433","url":null,"abstract":"We theoretically investigate ultrafast and nonlinear optical properties of graphite thin films based on first-principles time-dependent density functional theory. We first calculate electron dynamics in a unit cell of graphite under a strong pulsed electric field and explore the transient optical properties of graphite. It is shown that the optical response of graphite shows a sudden change from conducting to insulating phase at a certain intensity range of the applied electric field. It also appears as a saturable absorption, the saturation in the energy transfer from the electric field to electrons. We next investigate a light propagation in graphite thin films by solving coupled dynamics of the electrons and the electromagnetic fields simultaneously. It is observed that the saturable absorption manifests in the propagation with small attenuation in the spatial region where the electric field amplitude is about $4 sim 7 times 10^{-2}$ V/Angstrom.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123093516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Aiello, M. Paúr, B. Stoklasa, Z. Hradil, J. Řeháček, L. Sánchez‐Soto
We report,to the best of our knowledge, the first observation of concentrating paraxial beams of light in a linear nondispersive medium. We have generated this intriguing class of light beams, recently predicted by one of us, in both one- and two-dimensional configurations. As we demonstrate in our experiments, these concentrating beams display unconventional features, such as the ability to strongly focus in the focal spot of a thin lens like a plane wave, while keeping their total energy finite.
{"title":"Observation of concentrating paraxial beams","authors":"A. Aiello, M. Paúr, B. Stoklasa, Z. Hradil, J. Řeháček, L. Sánchez‐Soto","doi":"10.1364/OSAC.400410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/OSAC.400410","url":null,"abstract":"We report,to the best of our knowledge, the first observation of concentrating paraxial beams of light in a linear nondispersive medium. We have generated this intriguing class of light beams, recently predicted by one of us, in both one- and two-dimensional configurations. As we demonstrate in our experiments, these concentrating beams display unconventional features, such as the ability to strongly focus in the focal spot of a thin lens like a plane wave, while keeping their total energy finite.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127376181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Mousavian, Z. J. Thompson, Byounghwak Lee, Alden N. Bradley, Milo Sprague, Yun-Shik Lee
A terahertz metamaterial consisting of radiative slot antennas and subradiant complementary split-ring resonators exhibits plasmon induced opacity in a narrow spectral range due to the destructive interference between the bright and dark modes of the coupled oscillators. Femtosecond optical excitations instantly quench the mode coupling and plasmon oscillations, injecting photocarriers into the metamaterial. The plasmon resonances in the coupled metamaterial are transiently restored by intense terahertz pulses. The strong terahertz fields induce intervalley scattering and interband tunneling of the photocarries, and achieve significant reduction of the photocarrier mobility. The ultrafast dynamics of the nonlinear THz interactions reveals intricate interplay between photocarriers and plasmon oscillations. The high-field THz control of the plasmon oscillations implies potential applications to ultrahigh-speed plasmonics.
{"title":"Strong-field terahertz control of plasmon induced opacity in photoexcited metamaterial","authors":"A. Mousavian, Z. J. Thompson, Byounghwak Lee, Alden N. Bradley, Milo Sprague, Yun-Shik Lee","doi":"10.1364/JOSAB.409224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.409224","url":null,"abstract":"A terahertz metamaterial consisting of radiative slot antennas and subradiant complementary split-ring resonators exhibits plasmon induced opacity in a narrow spectral range due to the destructive interference between the bright and dark modes of the coupled oscillators. Femtosecond optical excitations instantly quench the mode coupling and plasmon oscillations, injecting photocarriers into the metamaterial. The plasmon resonances in the coupled metamaterial are transiently restored by intense terahertz pulses. The strong terahertz fields induce intervalley scattering and interband tunneling of the photocarries, and achieve significant reduction of the photocarrier mobility. The ultrafast dynamics of the nonlinear THz interactions reveals intricate interplay between photocarriers and plasmon oscillations. The high-field THz control of the plasmon oscillations implies potential applications to ultrahigh-speed plasmonics.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"78 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131802762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liam Collard, F. Pisano, M. Pisanello, Antonio Balena, M. de Vittorio, F. Pisanello
Adaptive optics methods have long been used to perform complex light shaping at the output of a multimode fiber (MMF), with the specific aim of controlling the emitted beam in the near-field. Gaining control of other emission properties, including the far-field pattern and the phase of the generated beam, would open up the possibility for MMFs to act as miniaturized beam splitting, steering components and to implement phase-encoded imaging and sensing. In this study, we employ phase modulation at the input of a MMF to generate multiple, low divergence rays with controlled angles and phase, showing how wavefront engineering can enable beam steering and phase-encoded applications through MMFs.
{"title":"Wavefront engineering for controlled structuring of far-field intensity and phase patterns from multimodal optical fibers","authors":"Liam Collard, F. Pisano, M. Pisanello, Antonio Balena, M. de Vittorio, F. Pisanello","doi":"10.1063/5.0044666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0044666","url":null,"abstract":"Adaptive optics methods have long been used to perform complex light shaping at the output of a multimode fiber (MMF), with the specific aim of controlling the emitted beam in the near-field. Gaining control of other emission properties, including the far-field pattern and the phase of the generated beam, would open up the possibility for MMFs to act as miniaturized beam splitting, steering components and to implement phase-encoded imaging and sensing. In this study, we employ phase modulation at the input of a MMF to generate multiple, low divergence rays with controlled angles and phase, showing how wavefront engineering can enable beam steering and phase-encoded applications through MMFs.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127711239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We demonstrate the broadband operation of a switchable terahertz quarter-wave plate achieved with an active metasurface employing vanadium dioxide. For this purpose, we utilize anisotropically deformed checkerboard structures, which present broadband characteristics compatible with deep modulation. Moreover, the metasurface is integrated with a current injection circuit to achieve state switching; this injection circuit can also be employed to monitor the electric state of vanadium dioxide. We estimate the Stokes parameters derived from the experimental transmission spectra of the fabricated metasurface and confirm the helicity switching of circularly polarized waves near a designed frequency of 0.66THz. The relative bandwidth is evaluated as 0.52, which is 4.2 times broader than that in a previous study.
{"title":"Broadband operation of active terahertz quarter-wave plate achieved with vanadium-dioxide-based metasurface switchable by current injection","authors":"T. Nakanishi, Y. Nakata, Y. Urade, K. Okimura","doi":"10.1063/5.0019265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0019265","url":null,"abstract":"We demonstrate the broadband operation of a switchable terahertz quarter-wave plate achieved with an active metasurface employing vanadium dioxide. For this purpose, we utilize anisotropically deformed checkerboard structures, which present broadband characteristics compatible with deep modulation. Moreover, the metasurface is integrated with a current injection circuit to achieve state switching; this injection circuit can also be employed to monitor the electric state of vanadium dioxide. We estimate the Stokes parameters derived from the experimental transmission spectra of the fabricated metasurface and confirm the helicity switching of circularly polarized waves near a designed frequency of 0.66THz. The relative bandwidth is evaluated as 0.52, which is 4.2 times broader than that in a previous study.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124790641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2020-08-27DOI: 10.1103/PHYSREVAPPLIED.15.024048
Xiaojie Guo, C. Liu, H. Ong
The broken mirror symmetry in subwavelength photonic systems has manifested many interesting chiroptical effects such as optical rotation and circular dichroism. When such systems are placed periodically in a lattice form, in addition to intrinsic chirality, extrinsic chirality also takes part, and the overall effect depends not only on the basis and lattice but also the excitation configuration. Here, we study planar chiral nanohole arrays in square lattice that support Bloch-like surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and clarify how the system geometry and the excitation contribute to circular dichroism. By using temporal coupled mode theory (CMT), the dissymmetry factor and the scattering matrix of the arrays are analytically formulated. Remarkably, we find the dissymmetry factor depends only on the coupling polarization angle and the in-coupling phase difference between the p- and s-polarizations. Besides, the upper limit of the dissymmetry factor at +/-2 can be reached simply by orienting the lattice of the arrays for properly exciting the Bloch-like SPPs and at the same time making the basis mimic two orthogonal and relatively displaced dipoles, demonstrating the interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic chirality. The models have been verified by numerical simulations and experiments, yielding the dissymmetry factors to be 1.82 and 1.55, respectively, from the proposed dual slot system.
{"title":"Generalization of the Circular Dichroism from Metallic Arrays That Support Bloch-Like Surface Plasmon Polaritons","authors":"Xiaojie Guo, C. Liu, H. Ong","doi":"10.1103/PHYSREVAPPLIED.15.024048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVAPPLIED.15.024048","url":null,"abstract":"The broken mirror symmetry in subwavelength photonic systems has manifested many interesting chiroptical effects such as optical rotation and circular dichroism. When such systems are placed periodically in a lattice form, in addition to intrinsic chirality, extrinsic chirality also takes part, and the overall effect depends not only on the basis and lattice but also the excitation configuration. Here, we study planar chiral nanohole arrays in square lattice that support Bloch-like surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and clarify how the system geometry and the excitation contribute to circular dichroism. By using temporal coupled mode theory (CMT), the dissymmetry factor and the scattering matrix of the arrays are analytically formulated. Remarkably, we find the dissymmetry factor depends only on the coupling polarization angle and the in-coupling phase difference between the p- and s-polarizations. Besides, the upper limit of the dissymmetry factor at +/-2 can be reached simply by orienting the lattice of the arrays for properly exciting the Bloch-like SPPs and at the same time making the basis mimic two orthogonal and relatively displaced dipoles, demonstrating the interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic chirality. The models have been verified by numerical simulations and experiments, yielding the dissymmetry factors to be 1.82 and 1.55, respectively, from the proposed dual slot system.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114612181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this work, we study the light focusing behaviors of sub-micron Si hemispherical nanolens in theory. Results show that the width and depth of the focus spot light at 405 nm can reach 42 nm (approximately {lambda}/10) and 20 nm ({lambda}/20), respectively. Theoretical analysis indicates that this nano-focusing phenomenon comes from two reasons, the high refractive index of Si and the sub-micro size of the lens which considerably decrease the influence of material losses. The focusing capability of Si nanolens is comparable with current EUV technique but with a low cost, providing an alternative approach towards super-resolution photolithography and optical microscopy.
{"title":"Sub-50 nm focusing of a 405 nm laser by hemispherical silicon\u0000 nanolens","authors":"Zhong Wang, Weihua Zhang","doi":"10.1364/josab.408866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1364/josab.408866","url":null,"abstract":"In this work, we study the light focusing behaviors of sub-micron Si hemispherical nanolens in theory. Results show that the width and depth of the focus spot light at 405 nm can reach 42 nm (approximately {lambda}/10) and 20 nm ({lambda}/20), respectively. Theoretical analysis indicates that this nano-focusing phenomenon comes from two reasons, the high refractive index of Si and the sub-micro size of the lens which considerably decrease the influence of material losses. The focusing capability of Si nanolens is comparable with current EUV technique but with a low cost, providing an alternative approach towards super-resolution photolithography and optical microscopy.","PeriodicalId":304443,"journal":{"name":"arXiv: Optics","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130157457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}