Pump-induced dynamical tunneling in a deformed microcavity laser

Area of Science:

• Optics and photonics
• Quantum dynamics

Background:

• Microcavities are crucial for light-matter interactions.
• Optical pumping is a standard technique for exciting quantum systems.
• Dynamical tunneling is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where a system tunnels between states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To observe and characterize pump-induced dynamical tunneling in free-space resonant optical pumping.
• To investigate the coupling efficiency of a pump beam into a microcavity mode via dynamical tunneling.

Main Methods:

• Utilized excitation spectroscopy to probe the microcavity.
• Employed free-space resonant optical pumping with a focused pump beam.
• Analyzed pumping efficiency using a mode-mode coupling model.

Main Results:

• Successfully observed pump-induced dynamical tunneling in a deformed microcavity.
• Achieved a high pump-coupling efficiency of up to 50%.
• Determined an effective coupling constant governing the tunneling process.

Conclusions:

• Dynamical tunneling is a viable mechanism for efficient optical pumping in microcavities.
• The study quantifies the coupling efficiency and mechanism, offering insights for device design.
• This work paves the way for enhanced control over light-matter interactions in micro-optical systems.