arXiv subjects

Atac Imamoglu

Publications and source records attributed to Atac Imamoglu.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Optically Active Quantum Dots in Monolayer WSe$_2$

Semiconductor quantum dots have emerged as promising candidates for implementation of quantum information processing since they allow for a quantum interface between stationary spin qubits and propagating single photons. In the meanwhile, transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers have moved to the forefront of solid-state research due to their unique band structure featuring a large band gap with degenerate valleys and non-zero Berry curvature. Here we report the observation of quantum dots in monolayer tungsten-diselenide with an energy that is 20 to 100 meV lower than that of two dimensional excitons. Photon antibunching in second-order photon correlations unequivocally demonstrates the zero-dimensional anharmonic nature of these quantum emitters. The strong anisotropic magnetic response of the spatially localized emission peaks strongly indicates that radiative recombination stems from localized excitons that inherit their electronic properties from the host TMD. The large $\sim$ 1 meV zero-field splitting shows that the quantum dots have singlet ground states and an anisotropic confinement most likely induced by impurities or defects in the host TMD. Electrical control in van der Waals heterostructures and robust spin-valley degree of freedom render TMD quantum dots promising for quantum information processing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Photo-activated biological processes as quantum measurements

We outline a framework for describing photo-activated biological reactions as generalized quantum measurements of external fields, for which the biological system takes on the role of a quantum meter. By using general arguments regarding the Hamiltonian that describes the measurement interaction, we identify the cases where it is essential for a complex chemical or biological system to exhibit non-equilibrium quantum coherent dynamics in order to achieve the requisite functionality. We illustrate the analysis by considering measurement of the solar radiation field in photosynthesis and measurement of the earth's magnetic field in avian magnetoreception.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Valley Zeeman Effect in Elementary Optical Excitations of a Monolayer WSe2

A monolayer of a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) such as WSe$_2$ is a two-dimensional (2D) direct band-gap valley-semiconductor having an effective Honeycomb lattice structure with broken inversion symmetry. The inequivalent valleys in the Brillouin zone could be selectively addressed using circularly-polarized light fields, suggesting the possibility for magneto-optical measurement and manipulation of the valley pseudospin degree of freedom. Here we report such experiments that demonstrate the valley Zeeman effect -- strongly anisotropic lifting of the degeneracy of the valley pseudospin degree of freedom using an external magnetic field. While the valley-splitting measured using the exciton transition is consistent with the difference of the conduction and valence band orbital magnetic moments, the trion transition exhibits an unexpectedly large valley Zeeman effect which cannot be understood using an independent electron-hole picture. Instead, we find an explanation using the recently predicted large Berry curvature and the associated magnetic moment for the electron-hole exchange interaction modified trion dispersion. Our results raise the possibility of observing optical excitation induced valley Hall effect in monolayer TMDs or topological states of photons strongly coupled to trion excitations in a microcavity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

A single quantum dot as an optical thermometer for mK temperatures

Resonant laser spectroscopy of a negatively charged self-assembled quantum dot is utilized to measure the temperature of a three dimensional fermionic reservoir down to 100mK. With a magnetic field applied to the quantum dot the single charged ground state is split by the Zeeman energy. As the quantum dot is in tunnel contact with a thermal electron reservoir, a thermal occupation of the quantum dot spin states is enforced by co-tunneling processes. Resonant laser induced fluorescence is used in order to measure the thermal quantum dot spin state population.

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arXiv2014

Observation of quantum jumps of a single quantum dot spin using sub-microsecond single-shot optical readout

Single-shot read-out of individual qubits is typically the slowest process among the elementary single- and two-qubit operations required for quantum information processing. Here, we use resonance fluorescence from a single-electron charged quantum dot to read-out the spin-qubit state in 800 nanoseconds with a fidelity exceeding 80%. Observation of the spin evolution on longer timescales reveals quantum jumps of the spin state: we use the experimentally determined waiting-time distribution to characterize the quantum jumps. Embedding a quantum dot in a photonic nanostructure could be used to enhance the collection efficiency by a factor of 10, enabling single-shot read-out with a fidelity exceeding 97%.

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arXiv2013

Polariton boxes in a tunable fiber cavity

Cavity-polaritons in semiconductor photonic structures have emerged as a test bed for exploring non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum fluids in an integrated solid-state device setting. Several recent experiments demonstrated the potential of these systems for revealing quantum many-body physics in driven-dissipative systems. So far, all experiments have relied on fully integrated devices with little to no flexibility for modification of device properties. Here, we present a novel approach for realizing confined cavity-polaritons that enables in-situ tuning of the cavity length and thereby of the polariton energy and lifetime. Our setup is based on a versatile semi-integrated low-temperature fiber-cavity platform, which allows us to demonstrate the formation of confined polaritons (or polariton boxes) with unprecedented quality factors. At high pump powers, we observe clear signatures of polariton lasing. In the strong-confinement limit, the fiber-cavity system could enable the observation of the polariton-blockade effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Nuclear spin physics in quantum dots: an optical investigation

The mesoscopic spin system formed by the 10E4-10E6 nuclear spins in a semiconductor quantum dot offers a unique setting for the study of many-body spin physics in the condensed matter. The dynamics of this system and its coupling to electron spins is fundamentally different from its bulk counter-part as well as that of atoms due to increased fluctuations that result from reduced dimensions. In recent years, the interest in studying quantum dot nuclear spin systems and their coupling to confined electron spins has been fueled by its direct implication for possible applications of such systems in quantum information processing as well as by the fascinating nonlinear (quantum-)dynamics of the coupled electron-nuclear spin system. In this article, we review experimental work performed over the last decades in studying this mesoscopic,coupled electron-nuclear spin system and discuss how optical addressing of electron spins can be exploited to manipulate and read-out quantum dot nuclei. We discuss how such techniques have been applied in quantum dots to efficiently establish a non-zero mean nuclear spin polarization and, most recently, were used to reduce fluctuations of the average quantum dot nuclear spin orientation. Both results in turn have important implications for the preservation of electron spin coherence in quantum dots, which we discuss. We conclude by speculating how this recently gained understanding of the quantum dot nuclear spin system could in the future enable experimental observation of quantum-mechanical signatures or possible collective behavior of mesoscopic nuclear spin ensembles.

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arXiv2012

Dissipative Phase Transition in Central Spin Systems

We investigate dissipative phase transitions in an open central spin system. In our model the central spin interacts coherently with the surrounding many-particle spin environment and is subject to coherent driving and dissipation. We develop analytical tools based on a self-consistent Holstein-Primakoff approximation that enable us to determine the complete phase diagram associated with the steady states of this system. It includes first and second-order phase transitions, as well as regions of bistability, spin squeezing and altered spin pumping dynamics. Prospects of observing these phenomena in systems such as electron spins in quantum dots or NV centers coupled to lattice nuclear spins are briefly discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Ultrafast all-optical switching by single photons

An outstanding goal in quantum optics is the realization of fast optical non-linearities at the single-photon level. Such non-linearities would allow for the realization of optical devices with new functionalities such as a single-photon switch/transistor or a controlled-phase gate, which could form the basis of future quantum optical technologies. While non-linear optics effects at the single-emitter level have been demonstrated in different systems, including atoms coupled to Fabry-Perot or toroidal micro-cavities, super-conducting qubits in strip-line resonators or quantum dots (QDs) in nano-cavities, none of these experiments so far has demonstrated single-photon switching on ultrafast timescales. Here, we demonstrate that in a strongly coupled QD-cavity system the presence of a single photon on one of the fundamental polariton transitions can turn on light scattering on a transition from the first to the second Jaynes-Cummings manifold with a switching time of 20 ps. As an additional device application, we use this non-linearity to implement a single-photon pulse-correlator. Our QD-cavity system could form the building-block of future high-bandwidth photonic networks operating in the quantum regime.

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arXiv2011

Localization of Toric Code Defects

We explore the possibility of passive error correction in the toric code model. We first show that even coherent dynamics, stemming from spin interactions or the coupling to an external magnetic field, lead to logical errors. We then argue that Anderson localization of the defects, arising from unavoidable fluctuations of the coupling constants, provides a remedy. This protection is demonstrated using general analytical arguments that are complemented with numerical results which demonstrate that self-correcting memory can in principle be achieved in the limit of a nonzero density of identical defects.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Strongly correlated photons on a chip

Optical non-linearities at the single-photon level are key ingredients for future photonic quantum technologies. Prime candidates for the realization of strong photon-photon interactions necessary for implementing quantum information processing tasks as well as for studying strongly correlated photons in an integrated photonic device setting are quantum dots embedded in photonic crystal nanocavities. Here, we report strong quantum correlations between photons on picosecond timescales. We observe (a) photon antibunching upon resonant excitation of the lowest-energy polariton state, proving that the first cavity photon blocks the subsequent injection events, and (b) photon bunching when the laser field is in two-photon resonance with the polariton eigenstates of the second Jaynes-Cummings manifold, demonstrating that two photons at this color are more likely to be injected into the cavity jointly, than they would otherwise. Together,these results demonstrate unprecedented strong single-photon non-linearities, paving the way for realizing a single-photon transistor or a quantum optical Josephson interferometer.

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arXiv2011

Hyperfine interaction dominated dynamics of nuclear spins in self-assembled quantum dots

We measure the dynamics of nuclear spins in a self-assembled quantum dot at a magnetic field of 5 Tesla and identify two distinct mechanisms responsible for the decay of the Overhauser field. We attribute a temperature-independent decay which lasts ~100 seconds to intra-dot diffusion induced by hyperfine-mediated indirect nuclear spin interaction. In addition, we observe a gate-voltage and temperature dependent decay stemming from co-tunneling mediated nuclear spin flip processes. By adjusting the gate-voltage and lowering the electron temperature to ~200 milliKelvin, we prolong the corresponding decay time to ~30 hours. Our measurements indicate possibilities for exploring quantum dynamics of the central spin model using a single self-assembled quantum dot.

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arXiv2011

Quantum quench of Kondo correlations in optical absorption

The interaction between a single confined spin and the spins of a Fermionic reservoir leads to one of the most spectacular phenomena of many body physics -- the Kondo effect. Here we report the observation of Kondo correlations in optical absorption measurements on a single semiconductor quantum dot tunnel-coupled to a degenerate electron gas. In stark contrast to transport experiments, absorption of a single photon leads to an abrupt change in the system Hamiltonian and a quantum quench of Kondo correlations. By inferring the characteristic power law exponents from the experimental absorption line-shapes, we find a unique signature of the quench in the form of an Anderson orthogonality catastrophe, originating from a vanishing overlap between the initial and final many-body wave-functions. We also show that the power-law exponents that determine the degree of orthogonality can be tuned by applying an external magnetic field which gradually turns the Kondo correlations off. Our experiments demonstrate that optical measurements on single artificial atoms offer new perspectives on many-body phenomena previously studied exclusively using transport spectroscopy. Moreover, they initiate a new paradigm for quantum optics where many-body physics influences electric field and intensity correlations.

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arXiv2010

Nuclear spin cooling using Overhauser field selective coherent population trapping

Hyperfine interactions with a nuclear spin environment fundamentally limit the coherence properties of confined electron spins in the solid-state. Here, we show that a quantum interference effect in optical absorption from two electronic spin states of a solid-state emitter can be used to prepare the surrounding environment of nuclear spins in well-defined states, thereby suppressing electronic spin dephasing. The evolution of the coupled electron-nuclei system into a coherent population trapping state by optical excitation induced nuclear spin diffusion can be described in terms of Levy flights, in close analogy with sub-recoil laser cooling of atoms. The large difference in electronic and nuclear time scales simultaneously allow for a measurement of the magnetic field produced by nuclear spins, making it possible to turn the lasers that cause the anomalous spin diffusion process off when the strength of the resonance fluorescence reveals that the nuclear spins are in the desired narrow state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

On the origin of strong photon antibunching in weakly nonlinear photonic molecules

In a recent work [T. C. H. Liew and V. Savona, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf104}, 183601 (2010)] it was numerically shown that in a photonic 'molecule' consisting of two coupled cavities, near-resonant coherent excitation could give rise to strong photon antibunching with a surprisingly weak nonlinearity. Here, we show that a subtle quantum interference effect is responsible for the predicted efficient photon blockade effect. We analytically determine the optimal on-site nonlinearity and frequency detuning between the pump field and the cavity mode. We also highlight the limitations of the proposal and its potential applications in demonstration of strongly correlated photonic systems in arrays of weakly nonlinear cavities.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Feshbach blockade: single-photon nonlinear optics using resonantly enhanced cavity-polariton scattering from biexciton states

We theoretically demonstrate how the resonant coupling between a pair of cavity-polaritons and a biexciton state can lead to a large single-photon Kerr nonlinearity in a semiconductor solid-state system. A fully analytical model of the scattering process between a pair of cavity-polaritons is developed, which explicitly includes the biexcitonic intermediate state. A dramatic enhancement of the polariton-polariton interactions is predicted in the vicinity of the biexciton Feshbach resonance. Application to the generation of non-classical light from polariton dots is discussed.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2009

Solid-State Spin-Photon Quantum Interface without Spin-Orbit Coupling

We show that coherent optical manipulation of a single confined spin is possible even in the absence of spin-orbit coupling. To this end, we consider the non-Markovian dynamics of a single valence orbital hole spin that has optically induced spin exchange coupling to a low temperature partially polarized electron gas. We show that the fermionic nature of the reservoir induces a coherent component to the hole spin dynamics that does not generate entanglement with the reservoir modes. We analyze in detail the competition of this reservoir-assisted coherent contribution with dissipative components displaying markedly different behavior at different time scales and determine the fidelity of optically controlled spin rotations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Resolution of the mystery of counter-intuitive photon correlations in far off-resonance emission from a quantum dot-cavity system

Cavity quantum-electrodynamics experiments using an atom coupled to a single radiation-field mode have played a central role in testing foundations of quantum mechanics, thus motivating solid-state implementations using single quantum dots coupled to monolithic nano-cavities. In stark contrast to their atom based counterparts, the latter experiments revealed strong cavity emission, even when the quantum dot is far off resonance. Here we present experimental and theoretical results demonstrating that this effect arises from the mesoscopic nature of quantum dot confinement, ensuring the presence of a quasi-continuum of transitions between excited quantum dot states that are enhanced by the cavity mode. Our model fully explains photon correlation measurements demonstrating that photons emitted at the cavity frequency are essentially uncorrelated with each other even though they are generated by a single quantum dot.

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