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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

All-electronic Nanosecond-resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy: Facilitating the Investigation of Single Dopant Charge Dynamics
Published on: January 19, 2018
Tunneling induced absorption with competing Nonlinearities
Yandong Peng1, Aihong Yang1, Yan Xu1
1State Key Laboratory of Mining Disaster Prevention and Control Co-founded by Shandong Province and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China.
We found that resonant tunneling in coupled quantum dots significantly enhances nonlinear absorption, increasing it by over ten times. This effect, driven by fifth-order nonlinearity, also narrows the absorption peak linewidth.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Condensed matter physics
Background:
- Nonlinear absorption is crucial for optical devices.
- Quantum dot systems offer tunable optical properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate tunneling-induced nonlinear absorption in coupled quantum dots.
- To understand the role of resonant tunneling in enhancing nonlinear optical phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of a coupled quantum-dot system.
- Investigation of nonlinear absorption under resonant tunneling conditions.
- Derivation of analytical expressions for nonlinear absorption and susceptibility.
Main Results:
- Resonant tunneling causes constructive interference, increasing nonlinear absorption by over an order of magnitude.
- Absorption peak linewidth is narrowed to a sublinewidth level due to resonant tunneling.
- Enhanced nonlinear absorption is primarily attributed to the fifth-order nonlinear term.
Conclusions:
- Tunneling-induced nonlinear absorption in coupled quantum dots offers significant enhancement.
- The interplay between third- and fifth-order nonlinearities leads to anomalous dispersion.
- This phenomenon has potential applications in advanced optical devices.
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