arXiv subjects

David A. Czaplewski

Publications and source records attributed to David A. Czaplewski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Current-based RF charge sensing in a carbon nanotube

Ultra-sensitive charge detection is a widely used tool for quantum electronics with applications in quantum information processing and in probing the physics of condensed matter systems. Existing approaches require either an impedance-matched resonant circuit, or millimeter-scale proximity between amplifier and sample, both adding complexity and constraining device design. In this work, we introduce a current-mode charge sensor in a suspended carbon nanotube, operating at the $1.25$ MHz resonance of an RLC tank circuit and achieving a charge sensitivity of $0.15~μe/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$. We utilize it to measure a double quantum dot (DQD) electrostatically defined in the same nanotube, revealing a highly regular charge stability diagram. We perform single-shot readout of the DQD charge state at an integration time of $3.56~μ\mathrm{s}$, without any false assignments over $10^{7}$ measurements and a signal-to-noise ratio of 17 exceeding the state of the art.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Tunable nonlinear electromechanics at the zero-point motion scale

Nonlinearity at the scale of zero-point motion opens new possibilities for the control and readout of nanomechanical systems, but achieving this remains a formidable challenge. Here we demonstrate that ultrastrong coupling (USC) between a nanotube mechanical oscillator and a double-quantum-dot electronic two-level system enables a mechanical Kerr (Duffing) nonlinearity at the zero-point motion scale. In the dispersive regime, this large coupling yields a mechanical anharmonicity of $α= 1.4\%$ - three orders of magnitude larger than in previous work - while preserving the predominantly mechanical nature of the lowest energy states. We further demonstrate a purely quadratic cavity-based continuous readout of the mechanical motion. This continuous nonlinear optomechanical readout is enforced by a double-quantum dot symmetry, which can be broken by gate tuning to introduce a large linear transduction. These results establish a tunable USC platform that enables strong mechanical anharmonicity and nonlinear continuous readout at the zero-point motion scale.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Imaging superconducting weak spots through vortex-assisted THz near-field photovoltage

Nanoscale inhomogeneities are a defining feature of many superconducting materials, yet their local electromagnetic response has remained difficult to access experimentally. This is because their relevant energy scale lies in the terahertz range, where wavelengths -- on the order of hundreds of microns -- are too large to spatially resolve nanoscopic variations. Here, we demonstrate the first application of THz near-field photovoltage nanoscopy in a superconductor, achieving 300 nm spatial resolution at 2.52 THz. Scanning a current-biased NbN strip, we reveal photovoltage peaks within the bulk associated with nanoscopic defects of reduced superfluid density. The observed photovoltage follows the evolution of the vortex-dissipative state and is attributed to enhanced vortex-antivortex pair nucleation at defect sites. Together, these results open a direct route to probing how material inhomogeneities influence light-matter interactions in superconductors, with implications for superconducting devices and strongly inhomogeneous systems such as high-Tc and moiré materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2026

Silicon-on-sapphire metasurfaces generate arrays of dark and bright traps for neutral atoms

We demonstrated crystalline silicon-on-sapphire (c-SOS) metasurfaces that convert a Gaussian beam into arrays of complex optical traps, including arrays of optical bottle beams that trap atoms in dark regions interleaved with bright tweezer arrays. The high refractive index and indirect band gap of crystalline silicon makes it possible to design high-resolution near-infrared ($λ>700$ nm) metasurfaces that can be manufactured at scale using CMOS-compatible processes. Compared with active components like spatial light modulators (SLMs) that have become widely used to generate trap arrays, metasurfaces provide an indefinitely scalable number of pixels, enabling large arrays of complex traps in a very small form factor, as well as reduced dynamic noise. To design metasurfaces that can generate three-dimensional bottle beams to serve as dark traps, we modified the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm to enforce complex-amplitude profiles at the focal plane of the metasurface and to optimize the uniformity of the traps across the array. We fabricated and measured c-SOS metasurfaces that convert a Gaussian laser beam into arrays of bright traps, dark traps, and interleaved bright/dark traps.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

A validated lumped-element model for bioinspired acoustic flow sensing toward the performance limit

Flow sensing is fundamental to both biological survival and technological innovation. Inspired by biological mechanoreceptors, artificial flow sensors detect subtle fluid motion using slender, viscous-driven structures. Among these, acoustic flow sensors that mimic nature's velocity-sensitive ears have the potential to transform vector sound detection. Yet, despite their potential, understanding of how design parameters determine ultimate sensor performance remains limited. To effectively guide flow sensor design, we develop and experimentally validate a lumped-element model that captures the broadband motion of slender microcantilevers immersed in fluid, combining analytical simplicity with quantitative accuracy. The model predicts flow-induced motion, thermomechanical noise, and the minimum detectable signal level, showing strong agreement with experimental measurements in air over a broad frequency range from 100 Hz to 10,000 Hz. This validated model provides a straightforward theoretical framework for designing high-performance micro- and nanomechanical sensors for flow and vector sound detection.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

All-passive upconversion of incoherent near-infrared light at intensities down to 10$^{-7}$ W/cm$^2$

Frequency upconversion, which converts low-energy photons into higher-energy ones, typically requires intense coherent illumination to drive nonlinear processes or the use of externally driven optoelectronic devices. Here, we demonstrate an upconversion system that converts low-intensity (down to ~10-7 W/cm$^2$) incoherent near-infrared (NIR) light into the visible, reaching intensities perceptible by the human eye, without the use of any external power input. Our upconverting element is enabled by the following ingredients: (1) photon upconversion via triplet-triplet annihilation in a bulk heterojunction of the organic semiconductors Y6 and rubrene; (2) plasmonic enhancement of absorption and field intensity in the heterojunction layer; (3) collection enhancement using a dichroic thin-film assembly. To enable high-resolution imaging, the upconverting element is inserted at an intermediate image plane of a dual-wavelength telescope system, which preserves the relative directionality of rays between the incident NIR light and output visible light. Our all-passive upconversion imaging system will enable NIR imaging and sensing in low-light environments under energy constraints.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Dynamically Tunable Membrane Metasurfaces for Infrared Spectroscopy

Mid-infrared spectroscopy enables biochemical sensing by identifying vibrational molecular fingerprints, but it faces limitations in instrumentation portability and analytical sensitivity. Optical metasurfaces with strong mid-IR photonic resonances provide an attractive solution towards on-chip spectrometry and sensitive molecular detection, yet their static nature hinders their anticipated impact. Here, we introduce and demonstrate dynamically tunable silicon membrane metasurfaces exhibiting high-Q transmissive resonances in the fingerprint region. By harnessing silicon's thermo-optical properties, we achieve continuous modulation of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like modes that emerge upon the interference of quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BICs) and surface lattice modes. We measure a spectral tuning rate of 0.06 $cm^{-1}/K$ by continuously sweeping the sharp EIT resonances over a 23.5 $cm^{-1}$ spectral range across a temperature range of 300-700 K. This dynamic transmission control enables non-contact chemical analysis of polymer films by detecting characteristic absorption bands of polystyrene (1450 and 1492 $cm^{-1}$) and Poly(methyl methacrylate) (1730 $cm^{-1}$) without bulky spectrometers. When analyte molecules fill the metasurface-generated photonic cavities, we demonstrate vibrational strong coupling between the Poly(methyl methacrylate)'s carbonyl band and the EIT mode, manifested in the Rabi splitting of $\sim$ 43 $cm^{-1}$. Our results establish a new photonic platform that unites spectral precision, strong field enhancement, and reconfigurability, offering diverse potential for compact mid-IR spectroscopy, molecular sensing, and programmable polaritonic photonics.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2025

Broadband light extraction from near-surface NV centers using crystalline-silicon antennas

We use crystalline silicon (Si) antennas to efficiently extract broadband single-photon fluorescence from shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond into free space. Our design features relatively easy-to-pattern high-index Si resonators on the diamond surface to boost photon extraction by overcoming total internal reflection and Fresnel reflection at the diamond-air interface, and providing modest Purcell enhancement, without etching or otherwise damaging the diamond surface. In simulations, ~17 times more single photons are collected from a single NV center compared to the case without the antenna; in experiments, we observe an enhancement of ~9 times, limited by spatial alignment between the NV and the antenna. Our approach can be readily applied to other color centers in diamond, and more generally to the extraction of light from quantum emitters in wide-bandgap materials.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Trapping light in air with membrane metasurfaces for vibrational strong coupling

Optical metasurfaces can manipulate electromagnetic waves in unprecedented ways at ultra-thin engineered interfaces. Specifically, in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) region, metasurfaces have enabled numerous biochemical sensing, spectroscopy, and vibrational strong coupling (VSC) applications via enhanced light-matter interactions in resonant cavities. However, mid-IR metasurfaces are usually fabricated on solid supporting substrates, which degrade resonance quality factors (Q) and hinder efficient sample access to the near-field electromagnetic hotspots. Besides, typical IR-transparent substrate materials with low refractive indices, such as CaF2, NaCl, KBr, and ZnSe, are usually either water-soluble, expensive, or not compatible with low-cost mass manufacturing processes. Here, we present novel free-standing Si-membrane mid-IR metasurfaces with strong light-trapping capabilities in accessible air voids. We employ the Brillouin zone folding technique to excite tunable, high-Q quasi-bound states in the continuum (q-BIC) resonances with our highest measured Q-factor of 722. Leveraging the strong field localizations in accessible air cavities, we demonstrate VSC with multiple quantities of PMMA molecules and the q-BIC modes at various detuning frequencies. Our new approach of fabricating mid-IR metasurfaces into semiconductor membranes enables scalable manufacturing of mid-IR photonic devices and provides exciting opportunities for quantum-coherent light-matter interactions, biochemical sensing, and polaritonic chemistry.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Enhanced biochemical sensing with high-Q transmission resonances in free-standing membrane metasurfaces

Optical metasurfaces provide novel solutions to label-free biochemical sensing by localizing light resonantly beyond the diffraction limit, thereby selectively enhancing light-matter interactions for improved analytical performance. However, high-Q resonances in metasurfaces are usually achieved in the reflection mode, which impedes metasurface integration into compact imaging systems. Here, we demonstrate a novel metasurface platform for advanced biochemical sensing based on the physics of the bound states in the continuum (BIC) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) modes, which arise when two interfering resonances from a periodic pattern of tilted elliptic holes overlap both spectrally and spatially, creating a narrow transparency window in the mid-infrared spectrum. We experimentally measure these resonant peaks observed in transmission mode (Q~734 at ~8.8 um) in free-standing silicon membranes and confirm their tunability through geometric scaling. We also demonstrate the strong coupling of the BIC-EIT modes with a thinly coated PMMA film on the metasurface, characterized by a large Rabi splitting (32 cm-1) and biosensing of protein monolayers in transmission mode. Our new photonic platform can facilitate the integration of metasurface biochemical sensors into compact and monolithic optical systems while being compatible with scalable manufacturing, thereby clearing the way for on-site biochemical sensing in everyday applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Atomic magnetometry using a metasurface polarizing beamsplitter in silicon on sapphire

We demonstrate atomic magnetometry using a metasurface polarizing beamsplitter fabricated on a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) platform. The metasurface splits a beam that is near-resonant with the rubidium atoms (795 nm) into orthogonal linear polarizations, enabling measurement of magnetically sensitive circular birefringence in a rubidium vapor through balanced polarimetry. We incorporated the metasurface into an atomic magnetometer based on nonlinear magneto-optical rotation and measured sub-nanotesla sensitivity, which is limited by low-frequency technical noise and transmission loss through the metasurface. To our knowledge, this work represents the first demonstration of SOS nanophotonics for atom-based sensing and paves the way for highly integrated, miniaturized atomic sensors with enhanced sensitivity and portability.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

On-chip picosecond synchrotron pulse shaper

Synchrotrons are powerful and productive in revealing the spatiotemporal complexities in matter. However, X-ray pulses produced by the synchrotrons are predetermined in specific patterns and widths, limiting their operational flexibility and temporal resolution. Here, we introduce the on-chip picosecond synchrotron pulse shaper that shapes the sub-nm-wavelength hard X-ray pulses at individual beamlines, flexibly and efficiently beyond the synchrotron pulse limit. The pulse shaper is developed using the widely available silicon-on-insulator technology, oscillates in torsional motion at the same frequency or at harmonics of the storage ring, and manipulates X-ray pulses through the narrow Bragg peak of the crystalline silicon. Stable pulse manipulation is achieved by synchronizing the shaper timing to the X-ray timing using electrostatic closed-loop control. Tunable shaping windows down to 40 $ps$ are demonstrated, allowing X-ray pulse picking, streaking, and slicing in the majority of worldwide synchrotrons. The compact, on-chip shaper offers a simple but versatile approach to boost synchrotron operating flexibility and to investigate structural dynamics from condensed matter to biological systems beyond the current synchrotron-source limit.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2020

Three-dimensional phonon population anisotropy in silicon nanomembranes

Nanoscale single-crystals possess modified phonon dispersions due to the truncation of the crystal. The introduction of surfaces alters the population of phonons relative to the bulk and introduces anisotropy arising from the breaking of translational symmetry. Such modifications exist throughout the Brillouin zone, even in structures with dimensions of several nanometers, posing a challenge to the characterization of vibrational properties and leading to uncertainty in predicting the thermal, optical, and electronic properties of nanomaterials. Synchrotron x-ray thermal diffuse scattering studies find that freestanding Si nanomembranes with thicknesses as large as 21 nm exhibit a higher scattering intensity per unit thickness than bulk silicon. In addition, the anisotropy arising from the finite thickness of these membranes produces particularly intense scattering along reciprocal-space directions normal to the membrane surface compared to corresponding in-plane directions. These results reveal the dimensions at which calculations of materials properties and device characteristics based on bulk phonon dispersions require consideration of the nanoscale size of the crystal.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Realization of a $Λ$ system with metastable states of a capacitively-shunted fluxonium

We realize a $Λ$ system in a superconducting circuit, with metastable states exhibiting lifetimes up to 8\,ms. We exponentially suppress the tunneling matrix elements involved in spontaneous energy relaxation by creating a "heavy" fluxonium, realized by adding a capacitive shunt to the original circuit design. The device allows for both cavity-assisted and direct fluorescent readout, as well as state preparation schemes akin to optical pumping. Since direct transitions between the metastable states are strongly suppressed, we utilize Raman transitions for coherent manipulation of the states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Width-dependent Photoluminescence and Anisotropic Raman Spectroscopy from Monolayer MoS$_2$ Nanoribbons

Single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides such as MoS$_2$ are direct bandgap semiconductors with optical and electronic properties distinct from multilayers due to strong vertical confinement. Despite the fundamental monolayer limit of thickness, the electronic structure of isolated layers can be further tailored with lateral degrees of freedom in nanostructures such as quantum dots or nanoribbons. Although one-dimensionally confined monolayer semiconductors are predicted to have interesting size- and edge-dependent properties useful for spintronics applications, experiments on the opto-electronic features of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide nanoribbons is limited. We use nanolithography to create monolayer MoS$_2$ nanoribbons with lateral sizes down to 20 nm. The Raman spectra show polarization anisotropy and size-dependent intensity. The nanoribbons prepared with this technique show reduced susceptibility to edge defects and emit photoluminescence with size-dependent energy that can be understood from a phenomenological model. Fabrication of monolayer nanoribbons with strong exciton emission can facilitate exploration of low-dimensional opto-electronic devices with controllable properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Self-sustained micromechanical oscillator with linear feedback

Autonomous oscillators, such as clocks and lasers, produce periodic signals \emph{without} any external frequency reference. In order to sustain stable periodic motions, there needs to be external energy supply as well as nonlinearity built into the oscillator to regulate the amplitude. Usually, nonlinearity is provided by the sustaining feedback mechanism, which also supplies energy, whereas the constituent resonator that determines the output frequency stays linear. Here we propose a new self-sustaining scheme that relies on the nonlinearity originating from the resonator itself to limit the oscillation amplitude, while the feedback remains linear. We introduce a model to describe the working principle of the self-sustained oscillations and validate it with experiments performed on a nonlinear microelectromechanical (MEMS) based oscillator.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Valley Polarization in Size-Tunable Monolayer Semiconductor Quantum Dots

Three-dimensional confinement allows semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) to exhibit size-tunable electronic and optical properties that enable a wide range of opto-electronic applications from displays, solar cells and bio-medical imaging to single-electron devices. Additional modalities such as spin and valley properties can provide further degrees of freedom requisite for quantum information and spintronics. When seeking to combine these material features into QD structures, however, confinement can cause hybridization that inhibits the robustness of these emergent properties for insertion into quantum devices. Here, we show that a new class of laterally-confined materials, monolayer MoS$_2$ QDs, can be created through top-down nanopatterning of an atomically-thin two-dimensional semiconductor so that they exhibit the same valley polarization as in a continuous monolayer sheet. Semiconductor-compatible nanofabrication process allows for these low-dimensional materials to be integrated into complex systems, an important feature for advancing quantum information applications. The inherited bulk spin and valley properties, the size dependence of excitonic energies, and the ability to fabricate MoS$_2$ QDs using semiconductor-compatible processing suggest that monolayer semiconductor QDs have the potential to be multimodal building blocks of integrated quantum information and spintronics systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Diffraction limited focusing and routing of gap plasmons by a metal-dielectric-metal lens

Passive optical elements can play key roles in photonic applications such as plasmonic integrated circuits. Here we experimentally demonstrate passive gap-plasmon focusing and routing in two-dimensions. This is accomplished using a high numerical-aperture metal-dielectric-metal lens incorporated into a planar-waveguide device. Fabrication via metal sputtering, oxide deposition, electron- and focused-ion- beam lithography, and argon ion-milling is reported on in detail. Diffraction-limited focusing is optically characterized by sampling out-coupled light with a microscope. The measured focal distance and full-width-half-maximum spot size agree well with the calculated lens performance. The surface plasmon polariton propagation length is measured by sampling light from multiple out-coupler slits.

physics.optics↗