arXiv subjects

Johannes Scherzer

Publications and source records attributed to Johannes Scherzer.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Cavity-mediated exciton hopping in a dielectrically engineered polariton system

Exciton-polaritons - coherently hybridized states of excitons and photons - are instrumental for solid-state nonlinear optics and quantum simulations. To enable engineered polariton energy landscapes and interactions, local control over the particle-like states can be achieved by tuning the properties of the exciton constituent. Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides stand out in this respect, as they readily allow for a deterministic, flexible and scalable control of excitons, and thus of hybrid exciton-polaritons, via environmental dielectric engineering. Here, we demonstrate the realization of mesoscopic exciton-polariton domains in a structured dielectric exciton environment, and establish an effective long-range exciton hopping in the dispersive regime of cavity-coupling. Our results represent a crucial step toward interacting polaritonic networks and quantum simulations in exciton-polariton lattices based on dielectrically tailored two-dimensional semiconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Correlated magnetism of moiré exciton-polaritons on a triangular electron-spin lattice

We demonstrate evidence of correlated magnetism for exciton-polaritons in a MoSe$_{2}$/WS$_{2}$ moiré heterostructure with near-parallel alignment subject to electron doping. In our experiments, interactions between electrons and moiré excitons are controlled electrostatically by field-effect doping, and the polaritonic regime of strong light-matter coupling is established in an open cryogenic microcavity. Remarkably, at filling fractions around one electron per moiré cell, we observe drastic and nonlinear enhancement of the effective polariton Landé factor as a hallmark of correlated magnetism, which is cavity-controlled via resonance tuning of light and matter polariton constituents. Our work establishes moiré van der Waals heterostructures as an outstanding platform for studies of correlated phenomena in the presence of strong light-matter coupling and many-body phases of lattice-ordered excitons, charges and spins.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Cavity-enhanced photon indistinguishability at room temperature and telecom wavelengths

Indistinguishable single photons in the telecom-bandwidth of optical fibers are indispensable for long-distance quantum communication. Solid-state single photon emitters have achieved excellent performance in key benchmarks, however, the demonstration of indistinguishability at room-temperature remains a major challenge. Here, we report room-temperature photon indistinguishability at telecom wavelengths from individual nanotube defects in a fiber-based microcavity operated in the regime of incoherent good cavity-coupling. The efficiency of the coupled system outperforms spectral or temporal filtering, and the photon indistinguishability is increased by more than two orders of magnitude compared to the free-space limit. Our results highlight a promising strategy to attain optimized non-classical light sources.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Implementation of the bilayer Hubbard model in a moiré heterostructure

Moiré materials provide a unique platform for studies of correlated many-body physics of the Fermi-Hubbard model on triangular spin-charge lattices. Bilayer Hubbard models are of particular significance with regard to the physics of Mott insulating states and their relation to unconventional superconductivity, yet their experimental implementation in moiré systems has so far remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate the realization of a staggered bilayer triangular lattice of electrons in an antiparallel MoSe$_{2}$/WS$_{2}$ heterostructure. The bilayer lattice emerges due to strong electron confinement in the moiré potential minima and the near-resonant alignment of conduction band edges in MoSe$_{2}$ and WS$_{2}$. As a result, charge filling proceeds layer-by-layer, with the first and second electron per moiré cell consecutively occupying first the MoSe$_{2}$ and then the WS$_{2}$ layer. We describe the observed charging sequence by an electrostatic model and provide experimental evidence of spin correlations on the vertically offset and laterally staggered bilayer lattice, yielding absolute exciton Landé factors as high as $600$ at lowest temperatures. The bilayer character of the implemented spin-charge lattice allows for electrostatic tunability of Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida magnetism, and establishes antiparallel MoSe$_{2}$/WS$_{2}$ heterostructures as a viable platform for studies of bilayer Hubbard model physics with exotic magnetic phases on frustrated lattices.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Field-induced hybridization of moiré excitons in MoSe$_2$/WS$_2$ heterobilayers

We study experimentally and theoretically the hybridization among intralayer and interlayer moiré excitons in a MoSe$_2$/WS$_2$ heterostructure with antiparallel alignment. Using a dual-gate device and cryogenic white light reflectance and narrow-band laser modulation spectroscopy, we subject the moiré excitons in the MoSe$_2$/WS$_2$ heterostack to a perpendicular electric field, monitor the field-induced dispersion and hybridization of intralayer and interlayer moiré exciton states, and induce a cross-over from type I to type II band alignment. Moreover, we employ perpendicular magnetic fields to map out the dependence of the corresponding exciton Landé $g$-factors on the electric field. Finally, we develop an effective theoretical model combining resonant and non-resonant contributions to moiré potentials to explain the observed phenomenology, and highlight the relevance of interlayer coupling for structures with close energetic band alignment as in MoSe$_2$/WS$_2$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Magneto-optical chirality in a coherently coupled exciton-plasmon system

Chirality is a fundamental asymmetry phenomenon, with chiral optical elements exhibiting asymmetric response in reflection or absorption of circularly polarized light. Recent realizations of such elements include nanoplasmonic systems with broken mirror symmetry and polarization-contrasting optical absorption known as circular dichroism. An alternative route to circular dichroism is provided by spin-valley polarized excitons in atomically thin semiconductors. In the presence of magnetic fields, they exhibit an imbalanced coupling to circularly polarized photons and thus circular dichroism. Here, we demonstrate that polarization-contrasting optical transitions associated with excitons in monolayer WSe$_2$ can be transferred to proximal plasmonic nanodisks by coherent coupling. The coupled exciton-plasmon system exhibits magneto-induced circular dichroism in a spectrally narrow window of Fano interference, which we model in a master equation framework. Our work motivates exciton-plasmon interfaces as building blocks of chiral metasurfaces for applications in information processing, non-linear optics and sensing.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2022

Coulomb-correlated states of moiré excitons and charges in a semiconductor moiré lattice

Semiconductor moiré heterostructures exhibit rich correlation-induced many-body phenomena with signatures of emergent magnetism, Mott insulating states or generalized Wigner crystals observed in optical spectroscopy by probing intralayer excitons. However, as the staggered band alignment in the underlying WSe$_2$/WS$_2$ heterobilayer system separates photoexcited electrons and holes to form lowest-energy interlayer excitons, direct access to interactions between correlated charge states and ground state moiré excitons remained elusive. Here, we use MoSe$_2$/WS$_2$ heterostacks with type-I band alignment to probe Coulomb interactions of elementary charges with the ground and excited states of moiré excitons. In addition to positive and negative moiré trions reminiscent of their canonical counterparts in monolayer MoSe$_2$, we reveal novel many-body states formed between moiré excitons and charges at fractional filling factors of the periodic moiré lattice. For both electrons and holes, these states exhibit doping-dependent Landé factors as a hallmark of correlation-induced magnetism, identifying the MoSe$_2$/WS$_2$ heterobilayer as a unique system for studies of correlated phenomena in ambipolar doping regimes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Open-cavity in closed-cycle cryostat as a quantum optics platform

The introduction of an optical resonator can enable efficient and precise interaction between a photon and a solid-state emitter. It facilitates the study of strong light-matter interaction, polaritonic physics and presents a powerful interface for quantum communication and computing. A pivotal aspect in the progress of light-matter interaction with solid-state systems is the challenge of combining the requirements of cryogenic temperature and high mechanical stability against vibrations while maintaining sufficient degrees of freedom for in-situ tunability. Here, we present a fiber-based open Fabry-Pérot cavity in a closed-cycle cryostat exhibiting ultra-high mechanical stability while providing wide-range tunability in all three spatial directions. We characterize the setup and demonstrate the operation with the root-mean-square cavity length fluctuation of less than $90$ pm at temperature of $6.5$ K and integration bandwidth of $100$ kHz. Finally, we benchmark the cavity performance by demonstrating the strong-coupling formation of exciton-polaritons in monolayer WSe$_2$ with a cooperativity of $1.6$. This set of results manifests the open-cavity in a closed-cycle cryostat as a versatile and powerful platform for low-temperature cavity QED experiments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Moiré excitons in MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$ heterobilayers and heterotrilayers

Layered two-dimensional materials exhibit rich transport and optical phenomena in twisted or lattice-incommensurate heterostructures with spatial variations of interlayer hybridization arising from moiré interference effects. Here, we report experimental and theoretical studies of excitons in twisted heterobilayers and heterotrilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides. Using MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$ stacks as representative realizations of twisted van der Waals bilayer and trilayer heterostructures, we observe contrasting optical signatures and interpret them in the theoretical framework of interlayer moiré excitons in different spin and valley configurations. We conclude that the photoluminescence of MoSe$_2$-WSe$_2$ heterobilayer is consistent with joint contributions from radiatively decaying valley-direct interlayer excitons and phonon-assisted emission from momentum-indirect reservoirs that reside in spatially distinct regions of moiré supercells, whereas the heterotrilayer emission is entirely due to momentum-dark interlayer excitons of hybrid-layer valleys. Our results highlight the profound role of interlayer hybridization for transition metal dichalcogenide heterostacks and other realizations of multi-layered semiconductor van der Waals heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗