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Bloch-wave engineering of quantum dot micropillars for cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments
M Lermer1, N Gregersen, F Dunzer
1Technische Physik, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Research Center for Complex Material Systems, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|March 10, 2012
Summary
Researchers engineered GaAs/AlAs micropillars using Bloch-wave engineering to achieve high quality factors. This method reduced scattering loss, enabling record vacuum Rabi splitting for strong coupling with quantum dots.
Area of Science:
- Semiconductor Nanophotonics
- Quantum Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- High quality factor (Q) optical cavities are crucial for strong light-matter interactions.
- Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Arsenide (GaAs/AlAs) micropillars offer a promising platform for integrated photonic devices.
- Reducing optical losses in micropillars is essential for enhancing their performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer submicron diameter GaAs/AlAs micropillars with high quality factors.
- To investigate the impact of Bloch-wave engineering on optical loss mechanisms.
- To achieve strong coupling between quantum dots and micropillar modes.
Main Methods:
- Employed Bloch-wave engineering for micropillar design.
- Utilized a tapered cavity design for adiabatic transition of Bloch modes.
- Fabricated submicron diameter GaAs/AlAs micropillars.
Main Results:
- Achieved a quality factor of 13,600 in GaAs/AlAs micropillars.
- Observed a record vacuum Rabi splitting of 85 μeV.
- Demonstrated strong coupling with modest oscillator strength quantum dots in a small mode volume micropillar (850 nm diameter).
- Estimated visibility v of 0.41.
Conclusions:
- Bloch-wave engineering effectively reduces scattering loss in GaAs/AlAs micropillars.
- The tapered cavity design facilitates efficient mode matching, enhancing the quality factor.
- The achieved results pave the way for advanced quantum information processing and sensing applications.
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