Nanowire Quantum Dots Tuned to Atomic Resonances.

Quantum dots tuned to atomic resonances represent an emerging field of hybrid quantum systems where the advantages of quantum dots and natural atoms can be combined. Embedding quantum dots in nanowires boosts these systems with a set of powerful possibilities, such as precise positioning of the emitters, excellent photon extraction efficiency and direct electrical contacting of quantum dots. Notably, nanowire structures can be grown on silicon substrates, allowing for a straightforward integration with silicon-based photonic devices. In this work we show controlled growth of nanowire-quantum-dot structures on silicon, frequency tuned to atomic transitions. We grow GaAs quantum dots in AlGaAs nanowires with a nearly pure crystal structure and excellent optical properties. We precisely control the dimensions of quantum dots and their position inside nanowires and demonstrate that the emission wavelength can be engineered over the range of at least 30 nm around 765 nm. By applying an external magnetic field, we are able to fine-tune the emission frequency of our nanowire quantum dots to the D2 transition of 87Rb. We use the Rb transitions to precisely measure the actual spectral line width of the photons emitted from a nanowire quantum dot to be 9.4 ± 0.7 µeV, under nonresonant excitation. Our work brings highly desirable functionalities to quantum technologies, enabling, for instance, a realization of a quantum network, based on an arbitrary number of nanowire single-photon sources, all operating at the same frequency of an atomic transition.

Bright Single InAsP Quantum Dots at Telecom Wavelengths in Position-Controlled InP Nanowires: The Role of the Photonic Waveguide.

We report on the site-selected growth of bright single InAsP quantum dots embedded within InP photonic nanowire waveguides emitting at telecom wavelengths. We demonstrate a dramatic dependence of the emission rate on both the emission wavelength and the nanowire diameter. With an appropriately designed waveguide, tailored to the emission wavelength of the dot, an increase in the count rate by nearly 2 orders of magnitude (0.4 to 35 kcps) is obtained for quantum dots emitting in the telecom O-band, showing high single-photon purity with multiphoton emission probabilities down to 2%. Using emission-wavelength-optimized waveguides, we demonstrate bright, narrow-line-width emission from single InAsP quantum dots with an unprecedented tuning range of 880 to 1550 nm. These results pave the way toward efficient single-photon sources at telecom wavelengths using deterministically grown InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dots.

Subwavelength focusing of light with orbital angular momentum.

The spatial structure of light with Orbital Angular Momentum, or "twisted light", closely resembles the shape of atomic wave functions. It could therefore make symmetry-forbidden transitions possible in quantum dots, or "artificial atoms". However, the vanishing intensity in the center of an OAM beam usually makes this effect weak. Here we show a plasmonic approach to focus OAM light to subwavelength dimensions using metallic nanoscale resonant optical antennas. This allows to increase the field intensity of OAM light at the typical dimensions of quantum dots to an intensity larger than a regular Gaussian beam, which corresponds to increasing the interaction strength by 3 orders of magnitude.

Quantum interference in plasmonic circuits.

Surface plasmon polaritons (plasmons) are a combination of light and a collective oscillation of the free electron plasma at metal/dielectric interfaces. This interaction allows subwavelength confinement of light beyond the diffraction limit inherent to dielectric structures. As a result, the intensity of the electromagnetic field is enhanced, with the possibility to increase the strength of the optical interactions between waveguides, light sources and detectors. Plasmons maintain non-classical photon statistics and preserve entanglement upon transmission through thin, patterned metallic films or weakly confining waveguides. For quantum applications, it is essential that plasmons behave as indistinguishable quantum particles. Here we report on a quantum interference experiment in a nanoscale plasmonic circuit consisting of an on-chip plasmon beamsplitter with integrated superconducting single-photon detectors to allow efficient single plasmon detection. We demonstrate a quantum-mechanical interaction between pairs of indistinguishable surface plasmons by observing Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference, a hallmark non-classical interference effect that is the basis of linear optics-based quantum computation. Our work shows that it is feasible to shrink quantum optical experiments to the nanoscale and offers a promising route towards subwavelength quantum optical networks.

Capacitive readout and gating of superconducting single photon detectors.

We propose and develop a readout scheme for superconducting single-photon detectors based on an integrated circuit, relaxing the need for large bandwidth amplification and resulting in voltage steps proportional to the number of detected photons. We also demonstrate time gating, to filter scattered light in time and reduce dark counts. This could lead to a higher signal-to-noise ratio. The gate pulse is generated on the detection of a photon created by a spontaneous parametric down-conversion source, heralding the presence of a second photon. These two schemes could find applications within advanced multi-array imaging detection systems.

Singlet oxygen luminescence detection with a fiber-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detector.

Direct monitoring of singlet oxygen (¹O2) luminescence is a particularly challenging infrared photodetection problem. ¹O2, an excited state of the oxygen molecule, is a crucial intermediate in many biological processes. We employ a low noise superconducting nanowire single-photon detector to record ¹O2 luminescence at 1270 nm wavelength from a model photosensitizer (Rose Bengal) in solution. Narrow band spectral filtering and chemical quenching is used to verify the ¹O2 signal, and lifetime evolution with the addition of protein is studied. Furthermore, we demonstrate the detection of ¹O2 luminescence through a single optical fiber, a marked advance for dose monitoring in clinical treatments such as photodynamic therapy.

On-chip single plasmon detection.

Surface plasmon polaritons (plasmons) have the potential to interface electronic and optical devices. They could prove extremely useful for integrated quantum information processing. Here we demonstrate on-chip electrical detection of single plasmons propagating along gold waveguides. The plasmons are excited using the single-photon emission of an optically emitting quantum dot. After propagating for several micrometers, the plasmons are coupled to a superconducting detector in the near-field. Correlation measurements prove that single plasmons are being detected.

Growth and characterization of InP nanowires with InAsP insertions.

We report on the fabrication by Au-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of InP nanowires with embedded InAsP insertions. The growth temperature affects the nucleation on the nanowire lateral surface. It is therefore possible to grow the wires in two steps: to fabricate an axial heterostructure (at 420 degrees C), and then cover it by a shell (at 390 degrees C). The InAsP alloy composition could be varied between InAs0.35P0.65 and InAs0.5P0.5 by changing the As to P flux ratio. When a shell is present, the InAsP segments show strong room-temperature photoluminescence with a peak wavelength tunable from 1.2 to 1.55 mum by adjusting the As content. If the axial heterostructure has no shell, luminescence intensity is drastically reduced. Low-temperature microphotoluminescence performed on isolated single wires shows narrow peaks with a line width as small as 120 microeV.

Single quantum dot nanowire LEDs.

We report reproducible fabrication of InP-InAsP nanowire light-emitting diodes in which electron-hole recombination is restricted to a quantum-dot-sized InAsP section. The nanowire geometry naturally self-aligns the quantum dot with the n-InP and p-InP ends of the wire, making these devices promising candidates for electrically driven quantum optics experiments. We have investigated the operation of these nanoLEDs with a consistent series of experiments at room temperature and at 10 K, demonstrating the potential of this system for single photon applications.

Optically bright quantum dots in single Nanowires.

We fabricate and demonstrate optically active quantum dots embedded in single nanowires. Observation of photon antibunching proves the zero dimensionality of these heterostructures that can be epitaxially grown on various substrates, including silicon. We show that the nanowire dots are intense single photon sources, typically an order of magnitude brighter than self-assembled quantum dots. Due to control over their composition, size, and position, nanowire dots are ideal building blocks for fully controlled quantum dot molecules.