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Surface plasmon mediated strong exciton-photon coupling in semiconductor nanocrystals
D E Gómez1, K C Vernon, P Mulvaney
1CSIRO, Materials Science and Engineering, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia. Daniel.Gomez@csiro.au
Nano Letters
|December 17, 2009
Summary
We demonstrated strong coupling between surface plasmons and CdSe nanocrystals, achieving a 112 meV Rabi splitting. This light-matter interaction opens doors for novel nonlinear plasmonic devices and quantum studies.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Surface plasmons are collective electron oscillations on metal surfaces.
- Excitons are bound electron-hole pairs in semiconductors.
- Strong coupling requires significant energy exchange between interacting entities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate strong coupling between surface plasmons and semiconductor nanocrystal excitons.
- To characterize the resulting mixed states and their properties.
- To explore potential applications in nonlinear plasmonics and quantum optics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a planar silver thin film for surface plasmon propagation.
- Employing Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) nanocrystals as the exciton source.
- Performing Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) measurements for characterization.
Main Results:
- Observed the formation of distinct plasmon-exciton mixed states.
- Measured a significant Rabi splitting of approximately 112 meV at room temperature.
- Confirmed coherent interaction between the surface plasmon and nanocrystal excitons.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully achieved and characterized strong light-matter coupling in a plasmon-nanocrystal system.
- This coherent interaction holds promise for developing advanced nonlinear plasmonic devices.
- The system provides an accessible platform for studying strong coupling effects in semiconductor nanocrystals, relevant to cavity quantum electrodynamics.
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