Few-emitter lasing in single ultra-small nanocavities

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Background:

• Miniaturizing lasers to nanocavities is crucial for reducing energy and material consumption.
• Plasmonic nanocavities offer the smallest mode volumes but face challenges with low gain and high losses for few emitters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate and understand 'few emitter lasing' in plasmonic nanocavities, approaching the single-emitter limit.
• To develop a theoretical framework for this non-standard lasing regime.

Main Methods:

• Experimental demonstration of lasing in a plasmonic nanocavity with a few emitters.
• Theoretical modeling extending weak-coupling theories to account for few-emitter dynamics.

Main Results:

• Achieved 'few emitter lasing' in a plasmonic nanocavity near the single-molecule regime.
• Observed significant broadening of the lasing transition, dependent on emitter number and location.
• Validated a new theoretical approach to explain the observed phenomena.

Conclusions:

• The study overcomes previous limitations in achieving lasing with few emitters in plasmonic nanocavities.
• The findings enable the development of novel nanolaser applications.
• Provides fundamental insights into light-matter interactions at the few-emitter limit.