Radiative coupling of two quantum emitters in arbitrary metallic nanostructures

Area of Science:

• Quantum optics
• Plasmonics
• Nanophotonics

Background:

• The Weisskopf-Wigner approximation is a standard but limited method for analyzing quantum emitter dynamics.
• Metallic nanostructures offer unique environments for controlling light-matter interactions due to surface plasmons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a general formalism beyond the Weisskopf-Wigner approximation for calculating quantum emitter interactions in metallic nanostructures.
• To investigate radiative coupling and decay dynamics of two quantum emitters in silver nano-spheroids.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel formalism for efficient calculation of coupling matrix elements and spectral evolution.
• Applied the formalism to model two quantum emitters in the hot spots of three silver nano-spheroids.

Main Results:

• Observed vacuum Rabi oscillations in population evolution, indicating strong coupling.
• Demonstrated anti-crossing behavior in the evolution spectrum, confirming radiative coupling.
• Showcased strong coupling despite significant plasmon damping in the metallic nanostructure.

Conclusions:

• The proposed formalism efficiently captures strong radiative coupling and coherent interactions between quantum emitters in metallic nanostructures.
• This method overcomes limitations of the Weisskopf-Wigner approximation and is applicable to diverse nanostructures.
• The formalism can be extended for multiple emitters and hybrid dielectric-metallic nanostructures.