Multi-stage coherent beam combination of semiconductor optical amplifiers in ready-made fiber couplers.

We report on multi-stage coherent beam combination (CBC) of continuous-wave (CW) outputs from semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) in ready-made fiber couplers. The first CBC stage combines two 120-mW outputs from SOAs seeded by an extended-cavity diode laser (ECDL) at 1458 nm in a 2×2 50%:50% fiber coupler. Two beams generated by two such CBC setups are then combined in the second stage. By concatenating three stages we obtained an output power of 723 mW at 1458 nm from eight SOAs with a total combining efficiency of 75.3%. Stable power generation without interrupts nor degradation over three days was successfully implemented using a simple low-bandwidth servo system. An averaged single-stage combining efficiency of 89.5% deduced from seven CBC setups constituting the three-stage CBC is used to estimate scaling to further stages. As a practical application the output is used to second harmonic generation (SHG) in a nonlinear crystal to achieve an output power of 239 mW at 729 nm.

Superior properties in room-temperature colloidal-dot quantum emitters revealed by ultralow-dark-count detections of temporally-purified single photons.

The realization of high-quality quantum emitters that can operate at room temperature is important for accelerating the application of quantum technologies, such as quantum communication, quantum information processing, and quantum metrology. In this work, we study the photon-antibunching properties on room-temperature emission from individual colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) using superconducting-nanowire single-photon detectors and temporal filtering of the photoluminescence decay curve. We find that high single-photon purities and high photon-generation rates can be simultaneously achieved by removing the signals originating from the sequential two-photon emission of biexcitons created by multiple excitation pulses. We successfully demonstrate that the ultrahigh performance of the room-temperature single-photon sources showing g(2)(0) ≪ 10-2 can be confirmed by the ultralow-dark-count detection of the temporally purified single photons. These findings provide strong evidence for the attractiveness of CQDs as candidates for high-quality room-temperature quantum light sources.

High-Performance CsPb1-x Snx Br3 Perovskite Quantum Dots for Light-Emitting Diodes.

All inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are potential emitters for electroluminescent displays. We have developed a facile hot-injection method to partially replace the toxic Pb2+ with highly stable Sn4+ . Meanwhile, the absolute photoluminescence quantum yield of CsPb1-x Snx Br3 increased from 45 % to 83 % with SnIV substitution. The transient absorption (TA) exciton dynamics in undoped CsPbBr3 and CsPb0.67 Sn0.33 Br3 QDs at various excitation fluences were determined by femtosecond transient absorption, time-resolved photoluminescence, and single-dot spectroscopy, providing clear evidence for the suppression of trion generation by Sn doping. These highly luminescent CsPb0.67 Sn0.33 Br3 QDs emit at 517 nm. A device based on these QDs exhibited a luminance of 12 500 cd m-2 , a current efficiency of 11.63 cd A-1 , an external quantum efficiency of 4.13 %, a power efficiency of 6.76 lm w-1 , and a low turn-on voltage of 3.6 V, which are the best values among reported tin-based perovskite quantum-dot LEDs.

Coulomb-Enhanced Radiative Recombination of Biexcitons in Single Giant-Shell CdSe/CdS Core/Shell Nanocrystals.

Giant-shell CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals have attracted much attention due to their unique quasi-type-II band alignment, where a large valence band offset confines holes strongly to the core but electrons are delocalized due to a small conduction band offset. Here, we report the observation of the relative enhancement in the radiative recombination rate of a biexciton compared to that of an exciton in giant-shell CdSe/CdS nanocrystals. We found a clear correlation between the shell thickness of the CdSe/CdS nanocrystals and the ratio between the radiative recombination rates of the biexciton and exciton. Our finding can be explained by a picture in which the biexciton emission efficiency is enhanced through electron localization around the core due to the strong Coulomb potential of the two holes confined in the core.

A Stable, Soluble, and Crystalline Supramolecular System with a Triplet Ground State.

A supramolecular complex was constructed by encapsulation of a 3 O2 molecule inside an open-cage C60 derivative. Its single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of the 3 O2 at the center of the fullerene cage. The CV measurements suggested that unprecedented dehydrogenation was promoted by the encapsulated 3 O2 after two-electron reduction. The ESR measurements displayed the triplet character as well as the anisotropy of the 3 O2 . Additionally, the SQUID measurements also demonstrated the paramagnetic behavior above 3 K without an antiferromagnetic transition. Upon photoirradiation with visible light, three phosphorescent bands at the NIR region were observed, arising from the exited 1 O2 generated by self-sensitization with the outer cage, whose lifetimes were not affected by the environments. These studies confirmed that the complex is a crystalline triplet system with incompatible "high spin density" but "small interspin interaction" properties.

Dynamics of Charged Excitons and Biexcitons in CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanocrystals Revealed by Femtosecond Transient-Absorption and Single-Dot Luminescence Spectroscopy.

Metal-halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are promising photonic materials for use in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and lasers. The optoelectronic properties of these devices are determined by the excitons and exciton complexes confined in their NCs. In this study, we determined the relaxation dynamics of charged excitons and biexcitons in CsPbBr3 NCs using femtosecond transient-absorption (TA), time-resolved photoluminescence (PL), and single-dot second-order photon correlation spectroscopy. Decay times of ∼40 and ∼200 ps were obtained from the TA and PL decay curves for biexcitons and charged excitons, respectively, in NCs with an average edge length of 7.7 nm. The existence of charged excitons even under weak photoexcitation was confirmed by the second-order photon correlation measurements. We found that charged excitons play a dominant role in luminescence processes of CsPbBr3 NCs. Combining different spectroscopic techniques enabled us to clarify the dynamical behaviors of excitons, charged excitons, and biexcitons.

Charge Injection at the Heterointerface in Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 Solar Cells Studied by Simultaneous Microscopic Photoluminescence and Photocurrent Imaging Spectroscopy.

Charge carrier dynamics in perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells were studied by means of microscopic photoluminescence (PL) and photocurrent (PC) imaging spectroscopy. The PL intensity, PL lifetime, and PC intensity varied spatially on the order of several tens of micrometers. Simultaneous PL and PC image measurements revealed a positive correlation between the PL intensity and PL lifetime, and a negative correlation between PL and PC intensities. These correlations were due to the competition between photocarrier injection from the CH3NH3PbI3 layer into the charge transport layer and photocarrier recombination within the CH3NH3PbI3 layer. Furthermore, we found that the decrease in the carrier injection efficiency under prolonged light illumination leads to a reduction in PC, resulting in light-induced degradation of solar cell devices. Our findings provide important insights for understanding carrier injection at the interface and light-induced degradation in perovskite solar cells.

One-dimensional band-edge absorption in a doped quantum wire.

Low-temperature photoluminescence-excitation spectra are studied in an n-type modulation-doped T-shaped single quantum wire with a gate to tune electron densities. With a nondegenerate one-dimensional (1D) electron gas, the band-edge absorption exhibits a sharp peak structure induced by the 1D density of states. When the dense 1D electron gas is degenerate at a low temperature, we observe a Fermi-edge absorption onset without many-body modifications.

Tracheal obstruction caused by an expandable metallic stent: a case of successful removal of the stent.

We report a case of tracheal obstruction caused by an expandable metallic stent. A 3-month-old girl with severe tracheomalacia had a placement of a Palmaz stent. At 3 years of age, she developed progressive dyspnea. The CT scan showed tracheal obstruction caused by granulation tissue over the stent. At operation, the stent was found to have penetrated the posterior tracheal wall. Under partial cardiopulmonary bypass, the stent was removed along with the membranous wall of the trachea, and the trachea was reconstructed using slide tracheoplasty. Tracheal obstruction is one of the serious complications caused by an expandable metallic stent. Direct open approach to the trachea under cardiopulmonary bypass is thought to be a safe way to manage this problem.