arXiv subjects

Clarisse Fournier

Publications and source records attributed to Clarisse Fournier.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Lattice quantum electrodynamics of a molecular emitter in a topological gap

Engineering the photonic environment using lattices of coupled resonators, which we refer to as lattice quantum electrodynamics (QED), provides a route to control both the spontaneous emission of individual quantum emitters and the photon-mediated interactions between them. Here we introduce an optical lattice QED platform based on individual dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules embedded in anthracene crystals and coupled to lattices of open optical microcavities. This hybrid architecture benefits from narrow-linewidth molecular emitters, site-resolved optical access, engineered coupled-resonator bands, and compatibility with established molecular frequency-tuning techniques. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we observe emitter-photon bound states formed when the optical transition of a single molecule is tuned to the band gap of a Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) cavity lattice. These in-gap states display directional localization and photon emission on a single sublattice, inherited from the vacancy-induced topological edge modes of the underlying SSH lattice. Our results establish open-cavity lattices coupled to DBT molecules as a versatile architecture for engineering many-emitter quantum optical systems with controllable photon-mediated interactions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Directional transport and nonlinear localization of light in a one-dimensional driven-dissipative photonic lattice

Photonic lattices facilitate band structure engineering, supporting both localized and extended modes through their geometric design. However, greater control over these modes can be achieved by taking advantage of the interference effect between external drives with precisely tuned phases and photonic modes within the lattice. In this work, we build on this principle to demonstrate optical switching, directed light propagation and site-specific localization in a one-dimensional photonic lattice of coupled microresonators by resonantly driving the system with a coherent field of controlled phase. Importantly, our experimental results provide direct evidence that increased driving power acts as a tuning parameter enabling nonlinear localization at frequencies previously inaccessible in the linear regime. These findings open new avenues for controlling light propagation and localization in lattices with more elaborate band structures.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Investigating the fast spectral diffusion of a quantum emitter in hBN using resonant excitation and photon correlations

The ability to identify and characterize homogeneous and inhomogeneous dephasing processes is crucial in solid-state quantum optics. In particular, spectral diffusion leading to line broadening is difficult to evidence when the associated timescale is shorter than the inverse of the photon detection rate. Here, we show that a combination of resonant laser excitation and second-order photon correlations allows to access such fast dynamics. The resonant laser drive converts spectral diffusion into intensity fluctuations, leaving a signature in the second-order coherence function $g^{(2)}(τ)$ of the scattered light that can be characterized using two-photon coincidences -- which simultaneously provides the homogeneous dephasing time. We experimentally implement this method to investigate the fast spectral diffusion of a color center generated by an electron beam in the two-dimensional material hexagonal boron nitride. The $g^{(2)}(τ)$ function of the quantum emitter measured over more than ten orders of magnitude of delay times, at various laser powers, establishes that the color center experiences spectral diffusion at a characteristic timescale of a few tens of microseconds, while emitting Fourier-limited single photons ($T_2/2T_1 \sim 1$) between spectral jumps.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Two-photon interference from a quantum emitter in hexagonal boron nitride

Recently discovered quantum emitters in two-dimensional (2D) materials have opened new perspectives of integrated photonic devices for quantum information. Most of these applications require the emitted photons to be indistinguishable, which has remained elusive in 2D materials. Here, we investigate two-photon interference of a quantum emitter generated in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) using an electron beam. We measure the correlations of zero-phonon-line photons in a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer under non-resonant excitation. We find that the emitted photons exhibit a partial indistinguishability of $0.44 \pm 0.11$ in a 3 ns time window, which corresponds to a corrected value of $0.56 \pm 0.11$ after accounting for imperfect emitter purity. The dependence of the HOM visibility on the width of the post-selection time window allows us to estimate the dephasing time of the emitter to be $\sim 1.5$ ns, about half the limit set by spontaneous emission. A visibility above 90 % is under reach using Purcell effect with up-to-date 2D material photonics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Cathodoluminescence monitoring of quantum emitter activation in hexagonal boron nitride

The ability to locally activate or generate quantum emitters in two-dimensional materials is of major interest for the realization of integrated quantum photonic devices. In particular, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has recently been shown to allow a variety of techniques for obtaining quantum emitters at desired locations. Here, we use cathodoluminescence (CL) to monitor in situ the local activation of color centers by an electron beam in hBN. We observe that the CL signal saturates at a given surface dose, independently of the electron current density. Based on photoluminescence and photon correlations, we show that the number of photoactive color centers is proportional to the CL signal, and we estimate the maximum density of quantum emitters that can be generated by our technique. Our results provide insights about the activation mechanism and could help to optimize the controlled generation of single photon sources in hexagonal boron nitride.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Position-controlled quantum emitters with reproducible emission wavelength in hexagonal boron nitride

Single photon emitters (SPEs) in low-dimensional layered materials have recently gained a large interest owing to the auspicious perspectives of integration and extreme miniaturization offered by this class of materials. However, accurate control of both the spatial location and the emission wavelength of the quantum emitters is essentially lacking to date, thus hindering further technological steps towards scalable quantum photonic devices. Here, we evidence SPEs in high purity synthetic hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) that can be activated by an electron beam at chosen locations. SPE ensembles are generated with a spatial accuracy better than the cubed emission wavelength, thus opening the way to integration in optical microstructures. Stable and bright single photon emission is subsequently observed in the visible range up to room temperature upon non-resonant laser excitation. Moreover, the low-temperature emission wavelength is reproducible, with an ensemble distribution of width 3 meV, a statistical dispersion that is more than one order of magnitude lower than the narrowest wavelength spreads obtained in epitaxial hBN samples. Our findings constitute an essential step towards the realization of top-down integrated devices based on identical quantum emitters in 2D materials.

physics.optics↗