62 research outputs found
Purcell Enhancement of Parametric Luminescence: Bright and Broadband Nonlinear Light Emission in Metamaterials
Single-photon and correlated two-photon sources are important elements for
optical information systems. Nonlinear downconversion light sources are robust
and stable emitters of single photons and entangled photon pairs. However, the
rate of downconverted light emission, dictated by the properties of
low-symmetry nonlinear crystals, is typically very small, leading to
significant constrains in device design and integration. In this paper, we show
that the principles for spontaneous emission control (i.e. Purcell effect) of
isolated emitters in nanoscale structures, such as metamaterials, can be
generalized to describe the enhancement of nonlinear light generation processes
such as parametric down conversion. We develop a novel theoretical framework
for quantum nonlinear emission in a general anisotropic, dispersive and lossy
media. We further find that spontaneous parametric downconversion in media with
hyperbolic dispersion is broadband and phase-mismatch-free. We predict a
1000-fold enhancement of the downconverted emission rate with up to 105 photon
pairs per second in experimentally realistic nanostructures. Our theoretical
formalism and approach to Purcell enhancement of nonlinear optical processes,
provides a framework for description of quantum nonlinear optical phenomena in
complex nanophotonic structures.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
Quantum nonlinear light emission in metamaterials: broadband Purcell enhancement of parametric downconversion
Single-photon and correlated two-photon sources are important elements for optical information systems. Nonlinear downconversion light sources are robust and stable emitters of single photons and entangled photon pairs. However, the rate of downconverted light emission, dictated by the properties of low-symmetry nonlinear crystals, is typically very small, leading to significant constraints in device design and integration. In this Letter, we study principles of spontaneous emission control (i.e., the Purcell effect) generalized to describe the enhancement of nonlinear generation of quantum light through spontaneous parametric downconversion. We develop a theoretical framework based on eigenmode analysis to study quantum nonlinear emission in a general anisotropic, dispersive, and lossy media. Our theory provides an unprecedented insight into the emission process. We find that spontaneous parametric downconversion in a media with hyperbolic dispersion is broadband and phase-mismatch-free. We further predict a significant enhancement of the downconverted emission rate in experimentally realistic nanostructures. Our theoretical formalism and approach to Purcell enhancement of nonlinear optical processes provides a framework for description of quantum nonlinear optical phenomena in complex nanophotonic structures
Van der Waals Materials for Atomically-Thin Photovoltaics: Promise and Outlook
Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors provide a unique opportunity for
optoelectronics due to their layered atomic structure, electronic and optical
properties. To date, a majority of the application-oriented research in this
field has been focused on field-effect electronics as well as photodetectors
and light emitting diodes. Here we present a perspective on the use of 2D
semiconductors for photovoltaic applications. We discuss photonic device
designs that enable light trapping in nanometer-thickness absorber layers, and
we also outline schemes for efficient carrier transport and collection. We
further provide theoretical estimates of efficiency indicating that 2D
semiconductors can indeed be competitive with and complementary to conventional
photovoltaics, based on favorable energy bandgap, absorption, external
radiative efficiency, along with recent experimental demonstrations. Photonic
and electronic design of 2D semiconductor photovoltaics represents a new
direction for realizing ultrathin, efficient solar cells with applications
ranging from conventional power generation to portable and ultralight solar
power.Comment: 4 figure
Quantum nonlinear light emission in metamaterials: broadband Purcell enhancement of parametric downconversion
Single-photon and correlated two-photon sources are important elements for optical information systems. Nonlinear downconversion light sources are robust and stable emitters of single photons and entangled photon pairs. However, the rate of downconverted light emission, dictated by the properties of low-symmetry nonlinear crystals, is typically very small, leading to significant constraints in device design and integration. In this Letter, we study principles of spontaneous emission control (i.e., the Purcell effect) generalized to describe the enhancement of nonlinear generation of quantum light through spontaneous parametric downconversion. We develop a theoretical framework based on eigenmode analysis to study quantum nonlinear emission in a general anisotropic, dispersive, and lossy media. Our theory provides an unprecedented insight into the emission process. We find that spontaneous parametric downconversion in a media with hyperbolic dispersion is broadband and phase-mismatch-free. We further predict a significant enhancement of the downconverted emission rate in experimentally realistic nanostructures. Our theoretical formalism and approach to Purcell enhancement of nonlinear optical processes provides a framework for description of quantum nonlinear optical phenomena in complex nanophotonic structures
Backward and forward modes guided by metal-dielectric-metal plasmonic waveguides
We revisited the problem of the existence of plasmonic modes guided by metal-dielectric-metal slot waveguides. For the case of lossless slot waveguides, we classify the guided modes in the structure with the metal dispersion and found that, in a certain parameter range, three different guided modes coexist at a fixed frequency, two (symmetric and antisymmetric) forward propagating modes and the third, backward propagating antisymmetric mode. We study the properties of the forward and backward plasmonic guided modes in the presence of realistic losses, and discuss the importance of evanescent modes in lossy structures
Plasmonic Bloch oscillations in chirped metal-dielectric structures
We study the propagation of plasmon polaritons in one-dimensional chirped metal-dielectric layered structures. We find an optical Wannier–Stark ladder in the mode spectrum and analyze Bloch oscillations associated with the coupling of surface plasmons localized at the metal-dielectric interfaces. For long structures, we find that the energy flow may dramatically change its direction, thus providing possibilities for the beam steering in the transmission band.The work has been supported by the Australian Research
Council
Mimicking surface polaritons for unpolarized light with high-permittivity materials
Tailoring near-field optical phenomena often requires excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) or surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs), surface waves at the interface between media with electric permittivities of opposite sign. Despite their unprecedented field confinement, surface polaritons are limited by polarization: only transverse magnetic fields enable their excitation, leaving transverse electric fields unexploited. By contrast, guided modes in positive permittivity materials occur for both linear polarizations, however, they typically cannot compete with SPPs and SPhPs in terms of confinement. Here we show that omnipolarization guided modes in materials with high-permittivity resonances can reach confinement factors similar to SPPs and SPhPs, while surpassing them in terms of propagation distance. We explore the cases of silicon carbide and transition-metal dichalcogenides near their permittivity resonances, and compare with SPhPs in silicon carbide and SPPs in silver, at infrared and visible frequencies, respectively
High Photovoltaic Quantum Efficiency in Ultrathin van der Waals Heterostructures
We report experimental measurements for ultrathin (< 15 nm) van der Waals
heterostructures exhibiting external quantum efficiencies exceeding 50%, and
show that these structures can achieve experimental absorbance > 90%. By
coupling electromagnetic simulations and experimental measurements, we show
that pn WSe2/MoS2 heterojunctions with vertical carrier collection can have
internal photocarrier collection efficiencies exceeding 70%.Comment: ACS Nano, 2017. Manuscript (25 pages, 7 figures) plus supporting
information (7 pages, 4 figures
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