Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Resonance Fluorescence of an InGaAs Quantum Dot in a Planar Cavity Using Orthogonal Excitation and Detection
Published on: October 13, 2017
Sisyphus Thermalization of Photons in a Cavity-Coupled Double Quantum Dot
M J Gullans1,2, J Stehlik3, Y-Y Liu3
1Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
Abstract:
We investigate the nonclassical states of light that emerge in a microwave resonator coupled to a periodically driven electron in a nanowire double quantum dot (DQD). Under certain drive configurations, we find that the resonator approaches a thermal state at the temperature of the surrounding substrate with a chemical potential given by a harmonic of the drive frequency. Away from these thermal regions we find regions of gain and loss, where the system can lase, or regions where the DQD acts as a single-photon source. These effects are observable in current devices and have broad utility for quantum optics with microwave photons.
Related Concept Videos
Deactivation Processes: Jablonski Diagram
The de Broglie Wavelength
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Photoelectric Effect
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

