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M. Yu. Petrov

Publications and source records attributed to M. Yu. Petrov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Digital-Alloy Bragg Mirrors in High-Q Microcavities for Polariton Lasing

We present an approach to the molecular-beam epitaxy of high-Q planar GaAs-based microcavities in which the AlGaAs high-index layers of the distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) are replaced by short-period GaAs/AlAs superlattices (digital alloys) with similar optical properties. This design enables a significant reduction of interface roughness, precise control of the quarter-wavelength optical thickness and the effective Al content, suppression of the propagation of structural defects, and efficient tuning of intrinsic absorption at the polariton emission wavelength via optimization of the superlattice parameters. Using this approach, we fabricate a microcavity with a low polariton-lasing threshold of approximately 570 W/cm$^2$ and a high experimental quality factor of about 5.4 x $10^4$. This value exceeds by almost a factor of two the theoretical estimate obtained within an equivalent ternary-alloy model. We demonstrate that accurate modeling of the stop-band characteristics and the Q factor requires incorporating the modified electronic density of states in the superlattice, including quantum-confinement and excitonic effects.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Magnetic quadrupole dichroism in isotropic medium

For isotropic media, the magnetic field applied across the light propagation direction affects their optical properties only in the second order, and its effect proves to be much weaker than in the longitudinal field. In this work, we show that, under resonant excitation well beyond the linear regime, the situation changes drastically: A small magnetic linear anisotropy considerably increases, and an even stronger new quadrupole dichroism emerges. The latter manifests itself as the 90$^\circ$-periodic azimuthal dependence of the transmission and anisotropic rotation of the probe polarization plane. These effects are described microscopically in a toy model, and their symmetry analysis is presented. Both are observed experimentally on the D2 resonance of cesium vapor and agree with the theoretical predictions. The large magnitude of the quadrupole dichroism makes it promising for magnetometric applications and for studying the effects of anisotropic bleaching.

physics.optics

Measuring spin-noise correlation function via time reversal

We propose a simple method of measuring the autocorrelation function of a spin noise based on multiplication and averaging two digitized signal traces, with one of them being a time-reversed copy of the other. This procedure allows one to obtain, with lower computational expenses, all the information usually derived in the Fourier transform spin-noise spectroscopy, retaining all the merits of the latter. We successfully applied this method to the measurements of spin noise in cesium vapors by using a digital oscilloscope in the capacity of the analog-to-digital converter. Specific opportunities of this experimental approach as applied to a more general problem of studying the nature of light-intensity noise are discussed.

quant-ph

Optically driven spin-alignment precession

The effect of optically driven spin precession discovered by Bell and Bloom [W. E. Bell and A. L. Bloom, Phys. Rev. Lett. 6, 280 (1961)] is widely used nowadays as a basis for numerous experiments in fundamental physics and for diverse applications. In this paper we consider a much less popular version of the light-induced spin precession that does not imply coherent precession of the spin-system magnetization and is excited by linearly (rather than circularly) polarized light. Pump-probe measurements performed on the D2 line of cesium vapor show that the magnitude of the signal of the optically driven spin-alignment precession, in "vacuum" cells (with no buffer gas) is close to that of classical spin-orientation precession. In the presence of buffer gas, however, the signal of spin-alignment precession appears to be strongly suppressed. The discovered effect is ascribed to spin mixing of excited states of cesium atoms in the cycle of optical pumping.

physics.atom-ph

Unveiling the electron-nuclear spin dynamics in an n-doped InGaAs epilayer by spin noise spectroscopy

We discuss the implications of a small indium content (3%) in a GaAs epilayer on the electron- and nuclear-spin relaxation due to enhanced quadrupolar effects induced by the strain. Using the weakly perturbative spin-noise spectroscopy, we study the electron-spin relaxation dynamics without explicit excitation. The observed temperature dependence indicates the presence of localized states, which have an increased interaction with the surrounding nuclear spins. Time-resolved spin-noise spectroscopy is then applied to study the relaxation dynamics of the optically pumped nuclear-spin system. It shows a multi-exponential decay with time components, ranging from several seconds to hundreds of seconds. Further, we provide a measurement of the local magnetic field acting between the nuclear spins and discover a strong contribution of quadrupole effects. Finally, we apply the nuclear spin diffusion model, that allows us to estimate the concentration of the localized carrier states and to determine the nuclear spin diffusion constant characteristic for this system.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Anomalous light-induced broadening of the spin-noise resonance in cesium vapor

We uncover a highly nontrivial dependence of the spin-noise (SN) resonance broadening induced by the intense probe beam. The measurements were performed by probing the cell with cesium vapor at the wavelengths of the transition ${6}^2S_{1/2} \leftrightarrow {6}^2P_{3/2}$ ($\mathrm{D}_2$ line) with the unresolved hyperfine structure of the excited state. The light-induced broadening of the SN resonance was found to differ strongly at different slopes of the $\mathrm{D}_2$ line and, generally, varied nonmonotonically with light power. We discuss the effect in terms of the phenomenological Bloch equations for the spin fluctuations and demonstrate that the SN broadening behavior strongly depends on the relation between the pumping and excited-level decay rates, the spin precession, and decoherence rates. To reconcile the puzzling experimental results, we propose that the degree of optical perturbation of the spin-system is controlled by the route of the excited-state relaxation of the atom or, in other words, that the act of optical excitation of the atom does not necessarily break down completely its ground-state coherence and continuity of the spin precession. Spectral asymmetry of the effect, in this case, is provided by the position of the "closed" transition $F = 4 \leftrightarrow F' = 5$ at the short-wavelength side of the line. This hypothesis, however, remains to be proven by microscopic calculations.

physics.optics

Nonlinear spectroscopy of high-spin fluctuations

We investigate theoretically and experimentally fluctuations of high spin (F>1/2) beyond the linear response regime and demonstrate dramatic modifications of the spin noise spectra in the high power density probe field. Several effects related to an interplay of high spin and perturbation are predicted theoretically and revealed experimentally, including strong sensitivity of the spin noise spectra to the mutual orientation of the probe polarization plane and magnetic field direction, appearance of high harmonics of the Larmor frequency in the spin noise and the fine structure of the Larmor peaks. We demonstrate the ability of the spin-noise spectroscopy to access the nonlinear effects related to the renormalization of the spin states by strong electromagnetic fields.

physics.atom-ph

Raman scattering model of the spin noise

The mechanism of formation of the polarimetric signal observed in the spin noise spectroscopy (SNS) is analyzed from the viewpoint of the light scattering theory. A rigorous calculation of the polarimetric signal (Faraday rotation or ellipticity) recorded in the SNS is presented in the approximation of single scattering. We show that it is most correctly to consider this noise as a result of scattering of the probe light beam by fluctuating susceptibility of the medium. Fluctuations of the gyrotropic (antisymmetric) part of the susceptibility tensor lead to appearance of the typical for the SNS Faraday rotation noise at the Larmor frequency. At the same time, fluctuations of linear anisotropy of the medium (symmetric part of the susceptibility tensor) give rise to the ellipticity noise of the probe beam spectrally localized at the double Larmor frequency. The results of the theoretical analysis well agree with the experimental data on the ellipticity noise in cesium vapor.

physics.optics

Polarimetric observation of noise of linear birefringence of cesium atomic vapors spectrally localized at double Larmor frequency in a magnetic field

We study radio-frequency spectrum of ellipticity noise of a probe laser beam transmitted through a cell with cesium vapor in a magnetic field. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of the model proposed by Gorbovitskii and Perel (Opt. Spektrosc. 54, 388 (1983)) according to which the observed noise arises due to heterodyning of the light scattered by fluctuations of the tensor $ α$ of optical susceptibility of cesium vapor. We show, both experimentally and theoretically, that, in the noise measurements if this kind, along with fluctuations of the antisymmetric (gyrotropic) part of the tensor $ α$ at the Larmor frequency, may be observed fluctuations of its symmetric part, corresponding to fluctuations of linear birefringence (alignment) of the atomic system. The polarization noise provided by these fluctuations is localized spectrally at the double Larmor frequency.

physics.atom-ph

Spin-alignment noise in atomic vapor

In the conventional spin noise spectroscopy, the probe laser light monitors fluctuations of the spin orientation of a paramagnet revealed as fluctuations of its gyrotropy, i.e., circular birefringence. For spins larger than 1/2, there exists spin arrangement of a higher order---the spin alignment---which also exhibits spontaneous fluctuations. We show theoretically and experimentally that the alignment fluctuations manifest themselves as the noise of the linear birefringence. In a magnetic field, the spin-alignment fluctuations, in contrast to those of spin orientation, show up as the noise of the probe-beam ellipticity at the double Larmor frequency, with the most efficient geometry of its observation being the Faraday configuration with the light propagating along the magnetic field. We have detected the spin-alignment noise in a cesium-vapor cell probed at the wavelength of D2 line (852.35 nm). The magnetic-field and polarization dependence of the ellipticity noise are in full agreement with the developed theory.

physics.atom-ph

Detection and amplification of spin noise using scattered laser light in a quantum-dot microcavity

Fundamental properties of the spin-noise signal formation in a quantum-dot microcavity are studied by measuring the angular characteristics of the scattered light intensity. A distributed Bragg reflector microcavity was used to enhance the light-matter interaction with an ensemble of n-doped (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots, which allowed us to study subtle effects of the noise signal formation. Detecting the scattered light outside of the aperture of the transmitted light, we measured the basic electron spin properties, like g-factor and spin dephasing time. Further, we investigated the influence of the microcavity on the scattering distribution and possibilities of signal amplification by additional resonant excitation.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Stimulated spin noise in an activated crystal

In the spin noise spectroscopy, the magnetic susceptibility spectrum is known to be provided by the spin-system untouched by any external perturbation, or, better to say, disturbed only by its thermal bath. We propose a new version of the spin noise spectroscopy, with the detected magnetization (Faraday-rotation) noise being stimulated by an external fluctuating magnetic field with a quasi-white spectrum. Experimental study of the stimulated spin noise performed on a $\text{BaF}_2 : \text{U}^{3+}$ crystal in a longitudinal magnetic field has revealed specific features of this approach and allowed us to identify the Van-Vleck and population-related contributions to the AC susceptibility of the system and to discover unusual magnetic-field dependence of the longitudinal spin relaxation rate in low magnetic fields. It is shown that spectra of the stimulated and spontaneous spin noise, being both closely related to the spin-system magnetic susceptibility, are still essentially different. Distinctions between the two types of the spin-noise spectra and two approaches to the spin noise spectroscopy are discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Subsecond nuclear spin dynamics in $n$-GaAs

We use time-resolved detection of the Hanle effect and polarized photoluminescence with dark intervals to investigate the buildup and decay of the spin polarization of nuclei interacting with donor-bound electrons in $n$-doped GaAs. Strong hyperfine coupling defines the millisecond timescale of the spin dynamics of these nuclei, as distinct from the nuclei far from impurity centers, characterized by a thousand times longer spin-relaxation time. The dynamics of spin polarization and relaxation attributed to the nuclei inside the donor orbit is observed on the time scale from 200 to 425 ms.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Increased sensitivity of spin noise spectroscopy using homodyne detection in $n$-doped GaAs

We implement the homodyne detection scheme for an increase of the polarimetric sensitivity in spin noise spectroscopy. Controlling the laser intensity of the local oscillator, which is guided around the sample and does not perturb the measured spin system, we are able to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The opportunity of additional amplification of the measured signal strength allows us to reduce the probe laser intensity incident onto the sample and therefore to approach the non-perturbative regime. The efficiency of this scheme with signal enhancement by more than a factor of 3 at low probe powers is demonstrated on bulk $n$-doped GaAs where the reduced electron-spin relaxation rate is shown experimentally. Additionally, the control of the optical phase provides us with the possibility to switch between the measurement of Faraday rotation and ellipticity without changes in the optical setup.

physics.ins-det

Nuclear spin cooling by helicity-alternated optical pumping at weak magnetic fields in $n$-GaAs

The spin dynamics of localized donor-bound electrons interacting with the nuclear spin ensemble in $n$-doped GaAs epilayers is studied using nuclear spin polarization by light with modulated circular polarization. We show that the observed build-up of the nuclear spin polarization is a result of competition between nuclear spin cooling and nuclear spin warm-up in the oscillating Knight field. The developed model allows us to explain the dependence of nuclear spin polarization on the modulation frequency and to estimate the equilibration time of the nuclear spin system that appears to be shorter than the transverse relaxation time $T_2$ determined from nuclear magnetic resonance.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Homogenization of Doppler broadening in spin noise spectroscopy

The spin noise of cesium atoms vapor with admixture of buffer gas is experimentally investigated by measuring the spin induced Faraday rotation fluctuations in the vicinity of D 2 line. The line, under these conditions, is known to be strongly inhomogeneously broadened due to the Doppler effect. Despite that, optical spectrum of the spin noise power, as we have found, has the characteristic shape of the homogeneously broadened line with the dip at the line center. This fact is in stark contrast with the results of previous studies of inhomogeneous quantum dot ensembles. In addition, the two-color experiments, where correlations of the Faraday rotation fluctuations for two probe wavelengths were measured, have shown, in a highly spectacular way, that these fluctuations are either correlated, or anticorrelated depending on whether the two wavelengths lie on the same side, or on different sides of the resonance. The experimental data are explained within the developed theoretical model which takes into account both kinetics and spin dynamics of Cs atoms. It is shown that the unexpected behavior of the optical Faraday rotation noise spectra and effective homogenization of the optical transition in the spin-noise measurements are related to smallness of the momentum relaxation time of the atoms as compared with their spin relaxation time.

physics.atom-ph

Bunching of numbers in a non-ideal roulette: the key to winning strategies

Chances of a gambler are always lower than chances of a casino in the case of an ideal, mathematically perfect roulette, if the capital of the gambler is limited and the minimum and maximum allowed bets are limited by the casino. However, a realistic roulette is not ideal: the probabilities of realisation of different numbers slightly deviate. Describing this deviation by a statistical distribution with a width δ we find a critical δ that equalizes chances of gambler and casino in the case of a simple strategy of the game: the gambler always puts equal bets to the last N numbers. For up-critical δ the expected return of the roulette becomes positive. We show that the dramatic increase of gambler's chances is a manifestation of bunching of numbers in a non-ideal roulette. We also estimate the critical starting capital needed to ensure the low risk game for an indefinite time.

q-fin.GN

Reconstruction of nuclear quadrupole interaction in (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots observed by transmission electron microscopy

A microscopic study of the individual annealed (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dots is done by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The Cauchy-Green strain-tensor component distribution and the chemical composition of the (In,Ga)As alloy are extracted from the microscopy images. The image processing allows for the reconstruction of the strain-induced electric-field gradients at the individual atomic columns extracting thereby the magnitude and asymmetry parameter of the nuclear quadrupole interaction. Nuclear magnetic resonance absorption spectra are analyzed for parallel and transverse mutual orientations of the electric-field gradient and a static magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall