Intersubband Transitions in Lead Halide Perovskite-Based Quantum Wells for Mid-Infrared Detectors

Due to their excellent optical and electrical properties as well as versatile growth and fabrication processes, lead halide perovskites have been widely considered as promising candidates for green energy and opto-electronic related applications. Here, we investigate their potential applications at infrared wavelengths by modeling the intersubband transitions in lead halide perovskite-based quantum well systems. Both single-well and double-well structures are studied and their energy levels as well as the corresponding wavefunctions and intersubband transition energies are calculated by solving the one-dimensional Schr\"odinger equations. By adjusting the quantum well and barrier thicknesses, we are able to tune the intersubband transition energies to cover a broad range of infrared wavelengths. We also find that the lead-halide perovskite-based quantum wells possess high absorption coefficients, which are beneficial for their potential applications in infrared photodetectors. The widely tunable transition energies and high absorption coefficients of the perovskite-based quantum well systems, combined with their unique material and electrical properties, may enable an alternative material system for the development of infrared photodetectors.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

Illumination protocols for non-linear phononics in bismuth and antimony

We study the optical generation and control of coherent phonons in elemental bismuth (Bi) and antimony (Sb) using a classical equation of motion informed by first-principles calculations of the potential energy surface and the frequency-dependent macroscopic dielectric function along the zone-centered optical phonons coordinates. Using this approach, we demonstrate that phonons with the largest optomechanical couplings, also have the strongest degree of anharmonicity, a result of the broken symmetry structural ground state of Bi and Sb. We show how this anharmonicity, explaining the light-induced phonon softening observed in experiments, prevents the application of standard phonon-amplification and annihilation protocols. We introduce a simple linearization protocol that extends the use of such protocols to the case of anharmonic phonons in broken symmetry materials, and demonstrate its efficiency at high displacement amplitudes. Our formalism and results provide a path for improving optical control in non-linear phononics

Broken symmetry optical transitions in (6,5) single-walled carbon nanotubes containing sp3 defects revealed by first-principles theory

We present a first-principles many-body perturbation theory study of nitrophenyl-doped (6,5) single-walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) to understand how sp3 doping impacts the excitonic properties. sp3-doped SWCNTs are promising as a class of optoelectronic materials with bright tunable photoluminescence, long spin coherence, and single-photon emission (SPE), motivating the study of spin excitations. We predict that the dopant results in a single unpaired spin localized around the defect site, which induces multiple low-energy excitonic peaks. By comparing optical absorption and photoluminescence from experiment and theory, we identify the transitions responsible for the red-shifted, defect-induced E11* peak, which has demonstrated SPE for some dopants; the presence of this state is due to both the symmetry-breaking associated with the defect and the presence of the defect-induced in-gap state. Furthermore, we find an asymmetry between the contribution of the two spin channels, suggesting that this system has potential for spin-selective optical transitions.DMR-1905990 - National Science Foundation; DE-AC02-06CH11357 - Office of Science; ACI-154856 - National Science Foundation; DE- AC02-05CH1123 - Office of Science; DE-SC0023402 - Office of ScienceAccepted manuscrip

Uniaxial transition dipole moments in semiconductor quantum rings caused by broken rotational symmetry

Semiconductor quantum rings are topological structures that support fascinating phenomena such as the Aharonov-Bohm effect and persistent current, which are of high relevance in the research of quantum information devices. The annular shape of quantum rings distinguishes them from other low-dimensional materials, and enables topologically induced properties such as geometry-dependent spin manipulation and emission. While optical transition dipole moments (TDMs) in zero to two-dimensional optical emitters have been well investigated, those in quantum rings remain obscure despite their utmost relevance to the quantum photonic applications of quantum rings. Here, we study the dimensionality and orientation of TDMs in CdSe quantum rings. In contrast to those in other two-dimensional optical emitters, we find that TDMs in CdSe quantum rings show a peculiar in-plane linear distribution. Our theoretical modeling reveals that this uniaxial TDM originates from broken rotational symmetry in the quantum ring geometries

The Synthesis and Initial Evaluation of MerTK Targeted PET Agents

MerTK (Mer tyrosine kinase), a receptor tyrosine kinase, is ectopically or aberrantly expressed in numerous human hematologic and solid malignancies. Although a variety of MerTK targeting therapies are being developed to enhance outcomes for patients with various cancers, the sensitivity of tumors to MerTK suppression may not be uniform due to the heterogeneity of solid tumors and different tumor stages. In this report, we develop a series of radiolabeled agents as potential MerTK PET (positron emission tomography) agents. In our initial in vivo evaluation, [18F]-MerTK-6 showed prominent uptake rate (4.79 ± 0.24%ID/g) in B16F10 tumor-bearing mice. The tumor to muscle ratio reached 1.86 and 3.09 at 0.5 and 2 h post-injection, respectively. In summary, [18F]-MerTK-6 is a promising PET agent for MerTK imaging and is worth further evaluation in future studies

Quantum Photon Sources in WSe₂ Monolayers Induced by Weakly Localized Strain Fields

Quantum emitters in semiconductor transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers hold great promise for many quantum optics applications due to the intriguing properties afforded by the host materials. The creation of localized excitonic states in two-dimensional semiconductors is also fundamentally interesting. Local strain engineering of TMD monolayers has been attested to be a viable approach for creating quantum emitters. However, despite the ubiquitous existence of local topography variations in the structures used to create strain gradients in the TMD monolayers, an understanding of their influence on the strain fields and exciton trapping is notably lacking, especially on the nanoscale. In this study, we investigate WSe2 monolayers deposited on the edges of as-fabricated trenches, which are deemed to induce 1D delocalized strain profiles in the monolayers, and observe optical signatures of weakly confined excitonic states supporting biexciton emission. Our numerical simulations of the strain distributions suggest that the quantum emitters originate from quasi-1D like localized strain profiles induced by local topography variations at the trench edges. These findings have strong implications toward the controlled creation of quantum emitters in TMD monolayers and their efficient coupling to photonic structures