Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Excitonic Hamiltonians for Calculating Optical Absorption Spectra and Optoelectronic Properties of Molecular Aggregates and Solids
Published on: May 27, 2020
Excitonic polaritons in Fibonacci quasicrystals
J Hendrickson1, B C Richards, J Sweet
1College of Optical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. jhendrickson@optics.arizona.edu
Researchers developed novel light-emitting photonic quasicrystals using GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells. These quasicrystals exhibit strong light emission due to excitonic resonances, offering advantages over traditional photonic crystals.
Area of Science:
- Condensed matter physics
- Materials science
- Optoelectronics
Background:
- One-dimensional photonic quasicrystals offer unique optical properties due to their quasi-periodic structures.
- Excitonic resonances in quantum wells are crucial for light-matter interactions and emission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize light-emitting one-dimensional photonic quasicrystals.
- To investigate the role of excitonic resonances in the optical properties of these quasicrystals.
- To compare the light-emitting capabilities of photonic quasicrystals with photonic crystals.
Main Methods:
- Molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) for growing high-quality GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells.
- Fabrication of one-dimensional photonic quasicrystals with Fibonacci sequences.
- Optical characterization using reflectivity and photoluminescence spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Successful fabrication of photonic quasicrystals with wavelength-scale spacings following a Fibonacci sequence.
- Observation of polaritonic effects arising from resonant light-matter coupling (excitonic polaritons).
- Photoluminescence experiments demonstrated strong light emission from the quasicrystal structures, attributed to the interplay of long-range order and lack of periodicity.
Conclusions:
- Active photonic quasicrystals can function as efficient light emitters.
- The unique structure of quasicrystals, combining long-range order with non-periodicity, enhances light emission compared to periodic photonic crystals.
- Excitonic polariton theory accurately describes the observed optical phenomena in these novel structures.
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
The Pauli Exclusion Principle
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
Hückel's Rule Diagram of π MOs: Frost Circle
A Frost circle is constructed by drawing a polygon whose number of edges is equal to the number of carbons of the given cyclic system, with one of the vertices pointing down. Then, a circle is drawn enclosing the polygon so that...
Potential Due to a Polarized Object

