arXiv subjects

Federico Capasso

Publications and source records attributed to Federico Capasso.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

Non-touching nanoparticle diclusters bound by repulsive and attractive Casimir forces

We present a scheme for obtaining stable Casimir suspension of dielectric nontouching objects immersed in a fluid, validated here in various geometries consisting of ethanol-separated dielectric spheres and semi-infinite slabs. Stability is induced by the dispersion properties of real dielectric (monolithic) materials. A consequence of this effect is the possibility of stable configurations (clusters) of compact objects, which we illustrate via a "molecular" two-sphere dicluster geometry consiting of two bound spheres levitated above a gold slab. Our calculations also reveal a strong interplay between material and geometric dispersion, and this is exemplified by the qualitatively different stability behavior observed in planar versus spherical geometries.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Layered superconductors as negative-refractive-index metamaterials

We analyze the use of layered superconductors as anisotropic metamaterials. Layered superconductors can have a negative refraction index in a wide frequency range for arbitrary incident angles. Indeed, low-Tc (s-wave) superconductors allow to produce artificial heterostructures with low losses for T<<Tc. However, the real part of their in-plane effective permittivity is very large. Moreover, even at low temperatures, layered high-Tc superconductors have a large in-plane normal conductivity, producing large losses (due to d-wave symmetry). Therefore, it is difficult to enhance the evanescent modes in either low-Tc or high-Tc superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Stable mode-locked pulses from mid-infrared semiconductor lasers

We report the unequivocal demonstration of mid-infrared mode-locked pulses from a semiconductor laser. The train of short pulses was generated by actively modulating the current and hence the optical gain in a small section of an edge-emitting quantum cascade laser (QCL). Pulses with pulse duration at full-width-at-half-maximum of about 3 ps and energy of 0.5 pJ were characterized using a second-order interferometric autocorrelation technique based on a nonlinear quantum well infrared photodetector. The mode-locking dynamics in the QCLs was modelled and simulated based on Maxwell-Bloch equations in an open two-level system. We anticipate our results to be a significant step toward a compact, electrically-pumped source generating ultrashort light pulses in the mid-infrared and terahertz spectral ranges.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2008

Stable suspension and dispersion-induced transitions from repulsive Casimir forces between fluid-separated eccentric cylinders

Using an exact numerical method for finite nonplanar objects, we demonstrate a stable mechanical suspension of a silica cylinder within a metallic cylinder separated by ethanol, via a repulsive Casimir force between the silica and the metal. We investigate cylinders with both circular and square cross sections, and show that the latter exhibit a stable orientation as well as a stable position, via a method to compute Casimir torques for finite objects. Furthermore, the stable orientation of the square cylinder is shown to undergo an unusual 45 degrees transition as a function of the separation lengthscale, which is explained as a consequence of material dispersion.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Orientation-dependent Casimir force arising from highly anisotropic crystals: application to Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta

We calculate the Casimir interaction between parallel planar crystals of Au and the anisotropic cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta (BSCCO), with BSCCO's optical axis either parallel or perpendicular to the crystal surface, using suitable generalizations of the Lifshitz theory. We find that the strong anisotropy of the BSCCO permittivity gives rise to a difference in the Casimir force between the two orientations of the optical axis, which depends on distance and is of order 10-20% at the experimentally accessible separations 10 to 5000 nm.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Measurements of the Casimir-Lifshitz force in fluids: the effect of electrostatic forces and Debye screening

In this work, we present detailed measurements of the Casimir-Lifshitz force between two gold surfaces (a sphere and a plate) immersed in ethanol and study the effect of residual electrostatic forces, which are dominated by static fields within the apparatus and can be reduced with proper shielding. Electrostatic forces are further reduced by Debye screening through the addition of salt ions to the liquid. Additionally, the salt leads to a reduction of the Casimir-Lifshitz force by screening the zero-frequency contribution to the force; however, the effect is small between gold surfaces at the measured separations and within experimental error. An improved calibration procedure is described and compared to previous methods. Finally, the experimental results are compared to Lifshitz's theory and found to be consistent for the materials used in the experiment.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Reply to "Comment on 'Precision measurement of the Casimir-Lifshitz force in a fluid'"

We have reviewed the Comment of Geyer et al. [arXiv:0708.1548] concerning our recent work [Phys. Rev. A 75, 060102 (R) (2007)], and while we disagree with their criticisms, we acknowledge them for giving us the opportunity to add interesting addition material and a more detailed description of our experiment. We describe further our calculation and explain why a more sophisticated model is not warranted. We also present detailed experiments on the effects of electrostatic forces in our measurements and show that the contribution due to work function differences is small and that the residual electrostatic force is dominated by trapped charges and external fields. Finally, we estimate the effect of double layer interactions. These additional calculations and measurements support our original conclusion that the experimental results are consistent with the Lifshitz theory.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

A two-colour heterojunction unipolar nanowire light-emitting diode by tunnel injection

We present a systematic study of the current-voltage characteristics and electroluminescence of gallium nitride (GaN) nanowire on silicon (Si) substrate heterostructures where both semiconductors are n-type. A novel feature of this device is that by reversing the polarity of the applied voltage the luminescence can be selectively obtained from either the nanowire or the substrate. For one polarity of the applied voltage, ultraviolet (and visible) light is generated in the GaN nanowire, while for the opposite polarity infrared light is emitted from the Si substrate. We propose a model, which explains the key features of the data, based on electron tunnelling from the valence band of one semiconductor into the conduction band of the other semiconductor. For example, for one polarity of the applied voltage, given a sufficient potential energy difference between the two semiconductors, electrons can tunnel from the valence band of GaN into the Si conduction band. This process results in the creation of holes in GaN, which can recombine with conduction band electrons generating GaN band-to-band luminescence. A similar process applies under the opposite polarity for Si light emission. This device structure affords an additional experimental handle to the study of electroluminescence in single nanowires and, furthermore, could be used as a novel approach to two-colour light-emitting devices.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2007

Electroluminescence from single nanowires by tunnel injection: an experimental study

We present a hybrid light-emitting diode structure composed of an n-type gallium nitride nanowire on a p-type silicon substrate in which current is injected along the length of the nanowire. The device emits ultraviolet light under both bias polarities. Tunnel-injection of holes from the p-type substrate (under forward bias) and from the metal (under reverse bias) through thin native oxide barriers consistently explains the observed electroluminescence behaviour. This work shows that the standard p-n junction model is generally not applicable to this kind of device structure.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2007

Computation and visualization of Casimir forces in arbitrary geometries: non-monotonic lateral forces and failure of proximity-force approximations

We present a method of computing Casimir forces for arbitrary geometries, with any desired accuracy, that can directly exploit the efficiency of standard numerical-electromagnetism techniques. Using the simplest possible finite-difference implementation of this approach, we obtain both agreement with past results for cylinder-plate geometries, and also present results for new geometries. In particular, we examine a piston-like problem involving two dielectric and metallic squares sliding between two metallic walls, in two and three dimensions, respectively, and demonstrate non-additive and non-monotonic changes in the force due to these lateral walls.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2007

Precision measurement of the Casimir-Lifshitz force in a fluid

The Casimir force, which results from the confinement of the quantum mechanical zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic fields, has received significant attention in recent years for its effect on micro- and nano-scale mechanical systems. With few exceptions, experimental observations have been limited to conductive bodies interacting separated by vacuum or air. However, interesting phenomena including repulsive forces are expected to exist in certain circumstances between metals and dielectrics when the intervening medium is not vacuum. In order to better understand the effect of the Casimir force in such situations and to test the robustness of the generalized Casimir-Lifshitz theory, we have performed the first precision measurements of the Casimir force between two metals immersed in a fluid. For this situation, the measured force is attractive and is approximately 80% smaller than the force predicted by Casimir for ideal metals in vacuum. We present experimental results and find them to be consistent with Lifshitz's theory.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2005

Evanescent-Wave Bonding Between Optical Waveguides

Forces arising from overlap between the guided waves of parallel, microphotonic waveguides are calculated. Both attractive and repulsive forces, determined by the choice of relative input phase, are found. Using realistic parameters for a silicon-on-insulator material system, we estimate that the forces are large enough to cause observable displacements. Our results illustrate the potential for a broader class of optically-tunable microphotonic devices and microstructured artificial materials.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2005

Observation of the skin-depth effect on the Casimir force between metallic surfaces

We have performed comparative measurements of the Casimir force between a metallic plate and a transparent sphere coated with metallic films of different thicknesses. We have observed that, if the thickness of the coating is less than the skin-depth of the electromagnetic modes that mostly contribute to the interaction, the force is significantly smaller than that measured with a thick bulk-like film. Our results provide the first direct evidence of the skin-depth effect on the Casimir force between metallic surfaces.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2004

Quantum electrodynamics of accelerated atoms in free space and in confined cavities

We consider a gedanken experiment with a beam of atoms in their ground state that are accelerated through a single-mode microwave cavity. We show that taking into account of the ''counter-rotating'' terms in the interaction Hamiltonian leads to the excitation of an atom with simultaneous emission of a photon into a field mode. In the case of a slow switching on of the interaction, the ratio of emission and absorption probabilities is exponentially small and is described by the Unruh factor. In the opposite case of sharp cavity boundaries the above ratio is much greater and radiation is produced with an intensity which can exceed the intensity of Unruh acceleration radiation in free space by many orders of magnitude. In both cases real photons are produced, contrary to the opinion that a uniformly accelerated atom does not radiate. The cavity field at steady state is described by a thermal density matrix. However, under some conditions laser gain is possible. We present a detailed discussion of how the acceleration of atoms affects the generated cavity field in different situations, progressing from a simple physical picture of Unruh radiation to more complicated situations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2004

On the torque on birefringent plates induced by quantum fluctuations

We present detailed numerical calculations of the mechanical torque induced by quantum fluctuations on two parallel birefringent plates with in plane optical anisotropy, separated by either vacuum or a liquid (ethanol). The torque is found to vary as $\sin(2θ)$, where $θ$ represents the angle between the two optical axes, and its magnitude rapidly increases with decreasing plate separation $d$. For a 40 $μ$m diameter disk, made out of either quartz or calcite, kept parallel to a Barium Titanate plate at $d\simeq 100$ nm, the maximum torque (at $θ={π\over 4}$) is of the order of $\simeq 10^{-19}$ N$\cdot$m. We propose an experiment to observe this torque when the Barium Titanate plate is immersed in ethanol and the other birefringent disk is placed on top of it. In this case the retarded van der Waals (or Casimir-Lifshitz) force between the two birefringent slabs is repulsive. The disk would float parallel to the plate at a distance where its net weight is counterbalanced by the retarded van der Waals repulsion, free to rotate in response to very small driving torques.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2004

Effect of hydrogen-switchable mirrors on the Casimir force

We present systematic measurements of the Casimir force between a gold-coated plate and a sphere coated with a Hydrogen Switchable Mirror (HSM). HSMs are shiny metals that can become transparent by hydrogenation. In spite of such a dramatic change of the optical properties of the sphere, we did not observe any significant decrease of the Casimir force after filling the experimental apparatus with hydrogen. This counterintuitive result can be explained by the Lifshitz theory that describes the Casimir attraction between metallic and dielectric materials.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

New Challenges and Directions in Casimir Force Experiments

This article is divided in three sections. In the first section we briefly review some high precision experiments on the Casimir force, underlying an important aspect of the analysis of the data. In the second section we discuss our recent results in the measurement of the Casimir force using non-trivial materials. In the third section we present some original ideas for experiments on new phenomena related to the Casimir effects.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2003

Enhancing Acceleration Radiation from Ground-State Atoms via Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics

When ground state atoms are accelerated through a high Q microwave cavity, radiation is produced with an intensity which can exceed the intensity of Unruh acceleration radiation in free space by many orders of magnitude. The cavity field at steady state is described by a thermal density matrix under most conditions. However, under some conditions gain is possible, and when the atoms are injected in a regular fashion, the radiation can be produced in a squeezed state.

quant-ph↗