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J. E. Sipe

Publications and source records attributed to J. E. Sipe.

142 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Conduction electrons and the decoherence of solid state qubits

We study the dynamics of impurity bound electrons interacting with a bath of conduction band electrons in a semiconductor. Only the exchange interaction is considered. We derive master equations for the density matrices of single and two qubit systems under the usual Born and Markov approximations. The bath mediated RKKY interaction in the two qubit case arises naturally. It leads to an energy shift significant only when the ratio ($R_{T}$) of the inter-qubit distance to the thermal deBroglie wavelength of the bath electrons is small. This bath mediated interaction also has a profound impact on the decoherence times; the effect decreases monotonically with $R_{T}$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Calculations of two-color interband optical injection and control of carrier population, spin, current, and spin current in bulk semiconductors

Quantum interference between one- and two-photon absorption pathways allows coherent control of interband transitions in unbiased bulk semiconductors; carrier population, carrier spin polarization, photocurrent injection, and spin current injection can all be controlled. We calculate injection spectra for these effects using a 14x14 k.p Hamiltonian including remote band effects for five bulk semiconductors of zinc-blende symmetry: InSb, GaSb, InP, GaAs, and ZnSe. Microscopic expressions for spin-current injection and spin control accounting for spin split bands are presented. We also present analytical expressions for the injection spectra derived in the parabolic-band approximation and compare these with the calculation nonperturbative in k.

cond-mat.other↗

Generation of spin currents via Raman scattering

We show theoretically that stimulated spin flip Raman scattering can be used to inject spin currents in doped semiconductors with spin split bands. A pure spin current, where oppositely oriented spins move in opposite directions, can be injected in zincblende crystals and structures. The calculated spin current should be detectable by pump-probe optical spectroscopy and anomalous Hall effect measurement.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Excitonic effects on the two-color coherent control of interband transitions in bulk semiconductors

Quantum interference between one- and two-photon absorption pathways allows coherent control of interband transitions in unbiased bulk semiconductors; carrier population, carrier spin polarization, photocurrent injection, and spin current injection may all be controlled. We extend the theory of these processes to include the electron-hole interaction. Our focus is on photon energies that excite carriers above the band edge, but close enough to it so that transition amplitudes based on low order expansions in $\mathbf{k}$ are applicable; both allowed-allowed and allowed-forbidden two-photon transition amplitudes are included. Analytic solutions are obtained using the effective mass theory of Wannier excitons; degenerate bands are accounted for, but envelope-hole coupling is neglected. We find a Coulomb enhancement of two-color coherent control process, and relate it to the Coulomb enhancements of one- and two-photon absorption. In addition, we find a frequency dependent phase shift in the dependence of photocurrent and spin current on the optical phases. The phase shift decreases monotonically from $π/2$ at the band edge to 0 over an energy range governed by the exciton binding energy. It is the difference between the partial wave phase shifts of the electron-hole envelope function reached by one- and two-photon pathways.

cond-mat.other↗

Coupled-mode theory for periodic side-coupled microcavity and photonic crystal structures

We use a phenomenological Hamiltonian approach to derive a set of coupled mode equations that describe light propagation in waveguides that are periodically side-coupled to microcavities. The structure exhibits both Bragg gap and (polariton like) resonator gap in the dispersion relation. The origin and physical significance of the two types of gaps are discussed. The coupled-mode equations derived from the effective field formalism are valid deep within the Bragg gaps and resonator gaps.

physics.optics↗

Spin current injection by intersubband transitions in quantum wells

We show that a pure spin current can be injected in quantum wells by the absorption of linearly polarized infrared radiation, leading to transitions between subbands. The magnitude and the direction of the spin current depend on the Dresselhaus and Rashba spin-orbit coupling constants and light frequency and, therefore, can be manipulated by changing the light frequency and/or applying an external bias across the quantum well. The injected spin current should be observable either as a voltage generated via the anomalous spin-Hall effect, or by spatially resolved pump-probe optical spectroscopy.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Two-photon spin injection in semiconductors

A comparison is made between the degree of spin polarization of electrons excited by one- and two-photon absorption of circularly polarized light in bulk zincblende semiconductors. Time- and polarization-resolved experiments in (001)-oriented GaAs reveal an initial degree of spin polarization of 49% for both one- and two-photon spin injection at wavelengths of 775 and 1550 nm, in agreement with theory. The macroscopic symmetry and microscopic theory for two-photon spin injection are reviewed, and the latter is generalized to account for spin-splitting of the bands. The degree of spin polarization of one- and two-photon optical orientation need not be equal, as shown by calculations of spectra for GaAs, InP, GaSb, InSb, and ZnSe using a 14x14 k.p Hamiltonian including remote band effects. By including the higher conduction bands in the calculation, cubic anisotropy and the role of allowed-allowed transitions can be investigated. The allowed-allowed transitions do not conserve angular momentum and can cause a high degree of spin polarization close to the band edge; a value of 78% is calculated in GaSb, but by varying the material parameters it could be as high as 100%. The selection rules for spin injection from allowed-allowed transitions are presented, and interband spin-orbit coupling is found to play an important role.

cond-mat.other↗

Propagating Quantum Walks: the origin of interference structures

We analyze the solution of the coined quantum walk on a line. First, we derive the full solution, for arbitrary unitary transformations, by using a new approach based on the four "walk fields" which we show determine the dynamics. The particular way of deriving the solution allows a rigorous derivation of a long wavelength approximation. This long wavelength approximation is useful as it provides an approximate analytical expression that captures the basics of the quantum walk and allows us to gain insight into the physics of the process.

quant-ph↗

Photon-exchange effects on photon-pair transmission

It has been proposed that photon-exchange effects in atom-photon interactions could lead to greatly enhanced optical nonlinearities. These might have widespread application (e.g. quantum information). Here we demonstrate experimentally that such exchange effects can indeed enhance the probability of real absorption of photon pairs. Using nonclassical pairs of photons with variable time separation, we observe a maximum suppression of pair transmission by at least 5% with respect to the result for uncorrelated photons.

quant-ph↗

Quantum walk on the line as an interference phenomenon

We show that the coined quantum walk on a line can be understood as an interference phenomenon, can be classically implemented, and indeed already has been. The walk is essentially two independent walks associated with the different coin sides, coupled only at initiation. There is a simple analogy between the evolution of walker positions and the propagation of light in a dispersive optical fiber.

quant-ph↗

Conditional linear-optical measurement schemes generate effective photon nonlinearities

We provide a general approach for the analysis of optical state evolution under conditional measurement schemes, and identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for such schemes to simulate unitary evolution on the freely propagating modes. If such unitary evolution holds, an effective photon nonlinearity can be identified. Our analysis extends to conditional measurement schemes more general than those based solely on linear optics.

quant-ph↗

Non-orthogonal preferred projectors for modal interpretations of quantum mechanics

Modal interpretations constitute a particular approach to associating dynamical variables with physical systems in quantum mechanics. Given the `quantum logical' constraints that are typically adopted by such interpretations, only certain sets of variables can be taken to be simultaneously definite-valued, and only certain sets of values can be ascribed to these variables at a given time. Moreover, each allowable set of variables and values can be uniquely specified by a single `preferred' projector in the Hilbert space associated with the system. In general, the preferred projector can be one of several possibilities at a given time. In previous modal interpretations, the different possible preferred projectors have formed an orthogonal set. This paper investigates the consequences of adopting a non-orthogonal set. We present three contributions on this issue: (1) we provide an argument for such non-orthogonality, based on the assumption that perfectly predictable measurements reveal pre-existing values of variables, an assumption which has traditionally constituted a strong motivation for the modal approach; (2) we generalize the existing framework for modal interpretations to accommodate non-orthogonal preferred projectors; (3) we present a novel type of modal interpretation wherein the set of preferred projectors is fixed by a principle of entropy minimization, and we discuss some of the successes and shortcomings of this proposal.

quant-ph↗

Spatial fragmentation of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential

We present a theoretical study of the ground state of a Bose-Einstein condensate with repulsive inter-particle interactions in a double-well potential, using a restricted variational principle. Within such an approach, there is a transition from a single condensate to a fragmented condensate as the strength of the central barrier of the potential is increased. We determine the nature of this transition through approximate analytic as well as numerical solutions of our model in the regime where the inter-particle interactions can be treated perturbatively. The degree of fragmentation of the condensate is characterized by the degrees of first-order and second-order spatial coherence across the barrier.

quant-ph↗