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Xuezhi Ma

Publications and source records attributed to Xuezhi Ma.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

CoQui: A Coordinate-Conditioned Quantum Implicit Generative Adversarial Network for End-to-End Image Generation

Quantum generative adversarial networks (QGANs) have attracted increasing attention for image generation using parameterized quantum circuits. Existing amplitude-based approaches face two key limitations: pixel locations are typically encoded by computational-basis indices or address qubits, causing quantum resources to grow with image resolution; meanwhile, jointly decoding many pixels from normalized quantum states introduces probability competition among pixels and limits precise pixel-wise control. To address these issues, we reformulate quantum image generation as coordinate-conditioned implicit function learning. Our method takes spatial coordinates and latent variables as inputs, uses a classical embedding network to generate input-dependent circuit parameters, and evaluates a variational quantum circuit at each coordinate. Pixel intensities are directly obtained from the expectation value of a dedicated color qubit, and a complete image is generated by querying all spatial coordinates. This design decouples image resolution from address-qubit requirements and avoids shared probability-normalization constraints across pixels. We further design a specialized variational quantum circuit to provide structural inductive bias for coordinate-conditioned generation. Simulated experiments on two benchmark datasets show that our method outperforms FRQI-based generation and PQWGAN in visual and quantitative quality while using fewer qubits, and also achieves better generation quality than the corresponding classical baseline.

quant-ph

Twist Engineering for Reconfigurable Optical and Optoelectronic Devices

Reconfigurable optical and optoelectronic devices require compact tuning mechanisms capable of reshaping electronic, excitonic, polaritonic, and photonic responses without rebuilding the underlying nanostructure. Against this backdrop, twist has emerged as a powerful geometric degree of freedom that reconfigures interlayer coupling, momentum matching, symmetry, radiation channels, and chiral response by simply rotating adjacent two-dimensional layers or photonic lattices. In this Review, we survey twist-engineered optical and optoelectronic devices spanning van der Waals materials and photonic platforms. We first review the current landscape of twist-angle metrology, classifying existing characterization approaches into three complementary categories: direct structural imaging, methods based on moir\'e periodicity and morphological features, and techniques that infer the twist angle from spectroscopic or electronic responses. We then survey the principal technological routes for twist-angle control, including deterministic transfer and growth strategies, atomic force microscopy (AFM)-assisted manipulation, quantum twisting microscopy (QTM), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and emerging non-contact approaches, highlighting their respective capabilities, limitations, and prospects for programmable and scalable moir\'e photonic platforms. Finally, we discuss the future evolution of twist engineering from the fabrication of individual twisted structures toward dynamically reconfigurable, feedback-controlled, and manufacturable photonic systems. We further highlight MEMS-based rotation, piezoelectric actuation, and micro-LiDAR as representative enabling technologies and emerging applications within this broader landscape.

physics.optics

Room-Temperature Noncolinear Ferroelectricity in van der Waals WO$_2$Cl$_2$ with a Wide Bandgap

Low-dimensional ferroelectrics are attractive for their promising prospects in nanoelectronics. Compared with widely-used ferroelectric perovskites, most low-dimensional ferroelectrics exhibit several inborn weaknesses such as small bandgaps (mostly <2 eV, i.e. semiconductors-like) or faint polarizations (e.g. $<1$ $\mu$C/cm$^2$ for sliding ferroelectrics even if their bandgaps can be large). Here we experimentally demonstrate the room-temperature ferroelectricity of van der Waals WO$_2$Cl$_2$ . The well-tested d0 rule inherited from ferroelectric perovskites leads to a large dipole (~3 e\AA) from the off-center displacement of W$^6+$ ion and a wide bandgap of 2.80 eV. Its ferroelectricity is proved by multiple characterizations including second harmonic generation, piezoresponse force microscopy, and ferroelectric hysteresis loops. More interestingly, the exotic noncollinear dipole order is directly observed at the atomic level by integrated differential phase contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our work paves an alternative route for low-dimensional ferroelectrics to pursue excellent ferroelectric performance and distinct physics of polarity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

In-Line Fiber-Integrated Photon-Pair Generation from van der Waals Crystals

Miniaturized quantum light sources that operate directly in optical fibers are an attractive platform for optical quantum technologies. However, most miniaturized spontaneous parametric down- conversion (SPDC) sources still rely on objective-lens-based free-space pumping and collection, which limits compactness, robustness, and direct compatibility with fiber-based systems. Here we demonstrate a lens-free in-line SPDC photon-pair source by integrating a van der Waals NbOI2 flake directly onto the end facet of an optical fiber. In this configuration, the generated photon- pairs are efficiently collected into optical fibers, eliminating the need for bulk free-space collection optics. Despite the limited numerical aperture of the single-mode fiber, efficient photon-pair collection with high purity, characterized by a coincidence-to-accidental ratio of up to ~4600, is achieved in an ultracompact configuration. These results establish van der Waals ferroelectric materials as a promising platform for fiber-integrated quantum light sources and provide a pathway toward compact, alignment-free quantum photonic devices.

quant-ph

Probing mesoscopic nonlocal screening in van der Waals heterostructures with polaritons

Predictive optical modelling of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures is critical for meta-optics, near-field photonics and quantum technologies. At their buried interfaces, charge transfer and spatially extended screening challenge local descriptions based on layer-by-layer stacking of fixed permittivity tensors. However, such nonlocal corrections have been established mainly for plasmonic systems at {\aa}ngstr\"om-nanometre scales and are often assumed negligible on optical-wavelength scales. Here we challenge this view by uncovering a mesoscopic nonlocal screening regime, extending up to ~140 nm, at buried charge-transfer interfaces in transition-metal dichalcogenide/{\alpha}-molybdenum trioxide (TMDC/{\alpha}-MoO3) phonon-polaritonic heterostructures. Using phonon polaritons as an ultrasensitive probe, we quantify charge transfer from polariton-wavelength shifts and find a thickness-independent saturated response as {\alpha}-MoO3 is thinned. Rather than merely complicating optical modelling, this nonlocal saturation turns a design-level correction into an opportunity by yielding a transferable cross-material metric. Across more than 120 devices, this metric scales linearly with the work-function difference between the TMDC and {\alpha}-MoO3. We further identify a lattice-mismatch-set energy threshold for charge transfer, revising Anderson-type band alignment for vdW interfaces.

physics.optics

Air-stable bright entangled photon-pair source from graphene-encapsulated van der Waals ferroelectric NbOI2

Van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectrics are emerging nonlinear photonic materials that combine large second-order susceptibility \c{hi}(2) with heterostructure compatibility, offering an attractive route toward miniaturized spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) sources. However, vdW SPDC sources operating under continuous irradiation in air remain limited in low brightness and poor operational stability, as oxygen and moisture exposure, together with pump-induced heating, lead to material degradation and permanent damage. Here we demonstrate an air-stable, bright SPDC source based on ferroelectric NbOI2 enabled by graphene encapsulation. Graphene provides robust environmental protection and can effectively supress pump induced degradation by enhancing heat dissipation. We report a record photon-pair generation absolute rate of 258 Hz and a normalized brightness of 19,900 Hz/(mW.mm). Leveraging this stabilized platform, we further generate polarization entangled photon pairs with 94% fidelity with respect to the maximally entangled Bell states from graphene-encapsulated 90{\deg} twisted bilayer NbOI2. Our results establish a practical and air-stable vdW ferroelectric SPDC platform that overcomes key limitations of existing vdW quantum light sources and provides a viable pathway toward scalable, integrated entangled photon sources for on chip quantum photonics.

physics.app-ph

Exploring Nanoscale Photoresponse Mechanisms for Enhanced Photothermoelectric Effects in van der Waals Interfaces

Integrated photodetectors are crucial for their high speed, sensitivity, and efficient power consumption. In these devices, photocurrent generation is primarily attributed to the photovoltaic (PV) effect, driven by electron hole separations, and the photothermoelectric (PTE) effect, which results from temperature gradients via the Seebeck effect. As devices shrink, the overlap of these mechanisms-both dependent on the Fermi level and band structure-complicates their separate evaluation at the nanoscale. This study introduces a novel 3D photocurrent nano-imaging technique specifically designed to distinctly map these mechanisms in a Schottky barrier photodiode featuring a molybdenum disulfide and gold (MoS2 Au) interface. We uncover a significant PTE-dominated region extending several hundred nanometers from the electrode edge, a characteristic facilitated by the weak electrostatic forces typical in 2D materials. Unexpectedly, we find that incorporating hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), known for its high thermal conductivity, markedly enhances the PTE response. This counterintuitive enhancement stems from an optimal overlap between thermal and Seebeck profiles, presenting a new pathway to boost device performance. Our findings highlight the capability of this imaging technique to not only advance optoelectronic applications but also to deepen our understanding of light matter interactions within low-dimensional systems.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Highly directional and coherent emission from dark excitons enabled by bound states in the continuum

A double-edged sword in two-dimensional material science and technology is an optically forbidden dark exciton. On the one hand, it is fascinating for condensed matter physics, quantum information processing, and optoelectronics due to its long lifetime. On the other hand, it is notorious for being optically inaccessible from both excitation and detection standpoints. Here, we provide an efficient and low-loss solution to the dilemma by reintroducing photonics bound states in the continuum (BICs) to manipulate dark excitons in the momentum space. In a monolayer tungsten diselenide under normal incidence, we observed a giant enhancement with an enhancement factor of ~3,100 for dark excitons enabled by transverse magnetic BICs with intrinsic out-of-plane electric fields. By further employing widely tunable Friedrich-Wintgen BICs, we demonstrated highly directional emission from the dark excitons with a divergence angle of merely 7 degrees. We found that the directional emission is coherent at room temperature, unambiguously shown in polarization analyses and interference measurements. Therefore, the BICs reintroduced as a momentum-space photonic environment could be an intriguing platform to reshape and redefine light-matter interactions in nearby quantum materials, such as low-dimensional materials, otherwise challenging or even impossible to achieve.

physics.optics

A universal deep learning strategy for designing high-quality-factor photonic resonances

Resonance is instrumental in modern optics and photonics for novel phenomena such as cavity quantum electrodynamics and electric-field-induced transparency. While one can use numerical simulations to sweep geometric and material parameters of optical structures, these simulations usually require considerably long calculation time (spanning from several hours to several weeks) and substantial computational resources. Such requirements significantly limit their applicability in understanding and inverse designing structures with desired resonance performances. Recently, the introduction of artificial intelligence allows for faster predictions of resonance with less demanding computational requirements. However, current end-to-end deep learning approaches generally fail to predict resonances with high quality-factors (Q-factor). Here, we introduce a universal deep learning strategy that can predict ultra-high Q-factor resonances by decomposing spectra with an adaptive data acquisition (ADA) method while incorporating resonance information. We exploit bound states in the continuum (BICs) with an infinite Q-factor to testify this resonance-informed deep learning (RIDL) strategy. The trained RIDL strategy achieves high-accuracy prediction of reflection spectra and photonic band structures while using a considerably small training dataset. We further develop an inverse design algorithm based on the RIDL strategy for a symmetry-protected BIC on a suspended silicon nitride photonic crystal (PhC) slab. The predicted and measured angle-resolved band structures show minimum differences. We expect the RIDL strategy to apply to many other physical phenomena which exhibit Gaussian, Lorentzian, and Fano resonances.

physics.optics

6 nm super-resolution optical transmission and scattering spectroscopic imaging of carbon nanotubes using a nanometer-scale white light source

Optical hyperspectral imaging based on absorption and scattering of photons at the visible and adjacent frequencies denotes one of the most informative and inclusive characterization methods in material research. Unfortunately, restricted by the diffraction limit of light, it is unable to resolve the nanoscale inhomogeneity in light-matter interactions, which is diagnostic of the local modulation in material structure and properties. Moreover, many nanomaterials have highly anisotropic optical properties that are outstandingly appealing yet hard to characterize through conventional optical methods. Therefore, there has been a pressing demand in the diverse fields including electronics, photonics, physics, and materials science to extend the optical hyperspectral imaging into the nanometer length scale. In this work, we report a super-resolution hyperspectral imaging technique that simultaneously measures optical absorption and scattering spectra with the illumination from a tungsten-halogen lamp. We demonstrated sub-5 nm spatial resolution in both visible and near-infrared wavelengths (415 to 980 nm) for the hyperspectral imaging of strained single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and reconstructed true-color images to reveal the longitudinal and transverse optical transition-induced light absorption and scattering in the SWNTs. This is the first time transverse optical absorption in SWNTs were clearly observed experimentally. The new technique provides rich near-field spectroscopic information that had made it possible to analyze the spatial modulation of band-structure along a single SWNT induced through strain engineering.

physics.optics

Engineering photonic environments for two-dimensional materials

A fascinating photonic platform with a small device scale, fast operating speed, as well as low energy consumption is two-dimensional (2D) materials, thanks to their in-plane crystalline structures and out-of-plane quantum confinement. The key to further advancement in this research field is the ability to modify the optical properties of the 2D materials. The modifications typically come from the materials themselves, for example, altering their chemical compositions. This article reviews a comparably less explored but promising means, through engineering the photonic surroundings. Rather than modifying materials themselves, this means manipulates the dielectric and metallic environments, both uniform and nanostructured, that directly interact with the materials. For 2D materials that are only one or a few atoms thick, the interaction with the environment can be remarkably efficient. This review summarizes the three degrees of freedom of this interaction: weak coupling, strong coupling, and multi-functionality. Also, it reviews a relatively timing concept of engineering that directly applied to the 2D materials by patterning. Benefiting from the burgeoning development of nanophotonics, the engineering of photonic environments provides a versatile and creative methodology of reshaping light-matter interaction in 2D materials.

physics.optics