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Tunable cryogenic terahertz cavity for strong light-matter coupling in complex materials.
Giacomo Jarc1, Shahla Yasmin Mathengattil1, Francesca Giusti1
1Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|April 2, 2022
Summary
We developed a versatile experimental setup to study light-matter interactions in crystalline samples within a tunable optical cavity at cryogenic temperatures. This system enables the investigation of weak and strong coupling regimes for various low-energy excitations.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Investigating light-matter interactions is crucial for understanding fundamental physics and developing new technologies.
- Exploring coupling regimes (weak and strong) reveals unique quantum phenomena in hybrid systems.
- Cryogenic environments are essential for studying low-energy excitations and achieving specific quantum states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the design, construction, and characterization of a novel experimental setup for studying optical properties of crystalline materials in an optical cavity.
- To enable the investigation of weak and strong coupling regimes between tunable optical cavities and low-energy degrees of freedom (phonons, magnons, charge fluctuations).
- To demonstrate the setup's capability by studying vibrational strong coupling in a single crystal.
Main Methods:
- Development of a tunable optical cavity system capable of operating in a cryogenic environment.
- Integration of crystalline samples within the optical cavity.
- Optical characterization using a broadband time-domain Terahertz (THz) spectrometer (0.2-6 THz).
- Precise tuning of cavity length and sample positioning at cryogenic temperatures.
Main Results:
- Successful realization and commissioning of the experimental setup.
- Demonstration of the capability to study weak and strong coupling regimes.
- Successful characterization of vibrational strong coupling in a CuGeO3 single crystal at cryogenic temperatures.
- Validation of the setup's versatility across a broad THz frequency range.
Conclusions:
- The developed experimental setup provides a unique platform for exploring light-matter interactions in crystalline solids.
- The system facilitates the study of fundamental quantum phenomena, including vibrational strong coupling, under controlled cryogenic conditions.
- This versatile apparatus opens new avenues for research in hybrid light-matter systems and their optical properties.
