No Arabic abstract
We study the interplay between coherent light-matter interactions and non-resonant pulse propagation effects when ultra-short pulses propagate in room-temperature quantum-dot (QD) semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs). The signatures observed on a pulse envelope after propagating in a transparent SOA, when coherent Rabi-oscillations are absent, highlight the contribution of two-photon absorption (TPA), and its accompanying Kerr-like effect, as well as of linear dispersion, to the modification of the pulse complex electric field profile. These effects are incorporated into our previously developed finite-difference time-domain comprehensive model that describes the interaction between the pulses and the QD SOA. The present, generalized, model is used to investigate the combined effect of coherent and non-resonant phenomena in the gain and absorption regimes of the QD SOA. It confirms that in the QD SOA we examined, linear dispersion in the presence of the Kerr-like effect causes pulse compression, which counteracts the pulse peak suppression due to TPA, and also modifies the patterns which the coherent Rabi-oscillations imprint on the pulse envelope under both gain and absorption conditions. The inclusion of these effects leads to a better fit with experiments and to a better understanding of the interplay among the various mechanisms so as to be able to better analyze more complex future experiments of coherent light-matter interaction induced by short pulses propagating along an SOA.
When an atom strongly couples to a cavity, it can undergo coherent vacuum Rabi oscillations. Controlling these oscillatory dynamics quickly relative to the vacuum Rabi frequency enables remarkable capabilities such as Fock state generation and deterministic synthesis of quantum states of light, as demonstrated using microwave frequency devices. At optical frequencies, however, dynamical control of single-atom vacuum Rabi oscillations remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate coherent transfer of optical frequency excitation between a single quantum dot and a cavity by controlling vacuum Rabi oscillations. We utilize a photonic molecule to simultaneously attain strong coupling and a cavity-enhanced AC Stark shift. The Stark shift modulates the detuning between the two systems on picosecond timescales, faster than the vacuum Rabi frequency. We demonstrate the ability to add and remove excitation from the cavity, and perform coherent control of light-matter states. These results enable ultra-fast control of atom-cavity interactions in a nanophotonic device platform.
I present an overview of pulse propagation methods used in nonlinear optics, covering both full-field and envelope-and-carrier methods. Both wideband and narrowband cases are discussed. Three basic forms are considered -- those based on (a) Maxwells equations, (b) directional fields, and (c) the second order wave equation. While Maxwells equations simulators are the most general, directional field methods can give significant computational and conceptual advantages. Factorizations of the second order wave equation complete the set by being the simplest to understand. One important conclusion is that that envelope methods based on forward-only directional field propagation has made the traditional envelope methods (such as the SVEA, and extensions) based on the second order wave equation utterly redundant.
All-optical amplification of the light pulse in a weakly coupled two nonlinear photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) is proposed. We consider pillar-type PCWs, which consist of the periodically distributed circular rods made from a Kerr-type dielectric material. Dispersion diagrams of the symmetric and antisymmetric modes are calculated. The operating frequency is properly chosen to be located at the edge of the dispersion diagram of the modes. In the linear case no propagation modes are excited at this frequency, however, in case of nonlinear medium when the amplitude of the injected signal is above some threshold value, the solitons are formed and they are propagating inside the coupled nonlinear PCWs. Near field distributions of the light pulse propagation inside the coupled nonlinear PCWs and the output powers of the registered signals are studied in a detail. The amplification coefficient is calculated at the various amplitudes of the launched signal. The results vividly demonstrate the effectiveness of the weakly coupled nonlinear PCWs as all-optical digital amplifier.
We demonstrate the ability to control quantum coherent Rabi-oscillations in a room-temperature quantum dot semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) by shaping the light pulses that trigger them. The experiments described here show that when the excitation is resonant with the short wavelength slope of the SOA gain spectrum, a linear frequency chirp affects its ability to trigger Rabi-oscillations within the SOA: A negative chirp inhibits Rabi-oscillations whereas a positive chirp can enhance them, relative to the interaction of a transform limited pulse. The experiments are confirmed by a numerical calculation that models the propagation of the experimentally shaped pulses through the SOA.
Realizing single photon sources emitting in the telecom band on silicon substrates is essential to reach complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible devices that secure communications over long distances. In this work, we propose the monolithic growth of needlelike tapered InAs/InP quantum dot-nanowires (QD-NWs) on silicon substrates with a small taper angle and a nanowire diameter tailored to support a single mode waveguide. Such a NW geometry is obtained by a controlled balance over axial and radial growths during the gold-catalyzed growth of the NWs by molecular beam epitaxy. This allows us to investigate the impact of the taper angle on the emission properties of a single InAs/InP QD-NW. At room temperature, a Gaussian far-field emission profile in the telecom O-band with a 30{deg} beam divergence angle is demonstrated from a single InAs QD embedded in a 2{deg} tapered InP NW. Moreover, single photon emission is observed at cryogenic temperature for an off-resonant excitation and the best result, $g^2(0) = 0.05$, is obtained for a 7{deg} tapered NW. This all-encompassing study paves the way for the monolithic growth on silicon of an efficient single photon source in the telecom band based on InAs/InP QD-NWs.