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- ItemWavefunction of polariton condensates in a tunable acoustic lattice(Bristol : IOP, 2012) Cerda-Méndez, E.A.; Krizhanovskii, D.N.; Biermann, K.; Hey, R.; Skolnick, M.S.; Santos, P.V.We study the spatial coherence of polariton condensates subjected to coherent modulation by a one-dimensional tunable acoustic potential.We use an interferometric technique to measure the amplitude and phase of the macroscopic condensate wavefunction. By increasing the acoustic modulation amplitude, we track the transition from the extended wavefunction of the unperturbed condensate to a regime where the wavefunction is spatially modulated and then to a fully confined regime, where independent condensates form at the minima of the potential with negligible particle tunneling between adjacent sites.
- ItemSpatial patterns of dissipative polariton solitons in semiconductor microcavities(College Park : American Physical Society, 2015) Chana, J.K.; Sich, M.; Fras, F.; Gorbach, A. V.; Skryabin, D. V.; Cancellieri, E.; Cerda-Méndez, E. A.; Biermann, K.; Hey, R.; Santos, P. V.; Skolnick, M.S.; Krizhanovskii, D.N.We report propagating bound microcavity polariton soliton arrays consisting of multipeak structures either along (x) or perpendicular (y) to the direction of propagation. Soliton arrays of up to five solitons are observed, with the number of solitons controlled by the size and power of the triggering laser pulse. The breakup along the x direction occurs when the effective area of the trigger pulse exceeds the characteristic soliton size determined by polariton-polariton interactions. Narrowing of soliton emission in energymomentum space indicates phase locking between adjacent solitons, consistent with numerical modeling which predicts stable multihump soliton solutions. In the y direction, the breakup originates from inhomogeneity across the wave front in the transverse direction which develops into a stable array only in the solitonic regime via phase-dependent interactions of propagating fronts.
- ItemHigh-temperature, continuous-wave operation of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers with metal-metal waveguides and third-order distributed feedback(Washington, DC : Optical Society of America, 2014) Wienold, M.; Röben, B.; Schrottke, L.; Sharma, R.; Tahraoui, A.; Biermann, K.; Grahn, H.T.Currently, different competing waveguide and resonator concepts exist for terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (THz QCLs). We examine the continuous-wave (cw) performance of THz QCLs with single-plasmon (SP) and metal-metal (MM) waveguides fabricated from the same wafer. While SP QCLs are superior in terms of output power, the maximum operating temperature for MM QCLs is typically much higher. For SP QCLs, we observed cw operation up to 73 K as compared to 129 K for narrow (≤ 15 μm) MM QCLs. In the latter case, single-mode operation and a narrow beam profile were achieved by applying third-order distributed-feedback gratings and contact pads which are optically insulated from the intended resonators. We present a quantitative analytic model for the beam profile, which is based on experimentally accessible parameters.
- ItemAcoustically driven arrayed waveguide grating(Washington, DC : Optical Society of America, 2015) Crespo-Poveda, A.; Hernández-Mínguez, A.; Gargallo, B.; Biermann, K.; Tahraoui, A.; Santos, P.V.; Muñoz, P.; Cantarero, A.; de Lima, M.M.We demonstrate compact tunable phased-array wavelength-division multiplexers driven by surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in the low GHz range. The devices comprise two couplers, which respectively split and combine the optical signal, linked by an array of single-mode waveguides (WGs). Two different layouts are presented, in which multi-mode interference couplers or free propagating regions were separately employed as couplers. The multiplexers operate on five equally distributed wavelength channels, with a spectral separation of 2 nm. A standing SAW modulates the refractive index of the arrayed WGs. Each wavelength component periodically switches paths between the output channel previously asigned by the design and the adjacent channels, at a fixed applied acoustic power. The devices were monolithically fabricated on (Al,Ga)As. A good agreement between theory and experiment is achieved.
- ItemLateral distributed-feedback gratings for single-mode, high-power terahertz quantum-cascade lasers(Washington, DC : Optical Society of America, 2012) Wienold, M.; Tahraoui, A.; Schrottke, L.; Sharma, R.; Lü, X.; Biermann, K.; Hey, R.; Grahn, H.T.We report on terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (THz QCLs) based on first-order lateral distributed-feedback (lDFB) gratings, which exhibit continuous-wave operation, high output powers (>8 mW), and single-mode emission at 3.3–3.4 THz. A general method is presented to determine the coupling coefficients of lateral gratings in terms of the coupled-mode theory, which demonstrates that large coupling strengths are obtained in the presence of corrugated metal layers. The experimental spectra are in agreement with simulations of the lDFB cavities, which take into account the reflective end facets.
- ItemAsymmetric g Tensor in Low-Symmetry Two-Dimensional Hole Systems(College Park, Md. : APS, 2018-6-18) Gradl, C.; Winkler, R.; Kempf, M.; Holler, J.; Schuh, D.; Bougeard, D.; Hernández-Mínguez, A.; Biermann, K.; Santos, P.V.; Schüller, C.; Korn, T.The complex structure of the valence band in many semiconductors leads to multifaceted and unusual properties for spin-3/2 hole systems compared to common spin-1/2 electron systems. In particular, two-dimensional hole systems show a highly anisotropic Zeeman interaction. We have investigated this anisotropy in GaAs/AlAs quantum well structures both experimentally and theoretically. By performing time-resolved Kerr rotation measurements, we found a nondiagonal tensor g that manifests itself in unusual precessional motion, as well as distinct dependencies of hole-spin dynamics on the direction of the magnetic field B. We quantify the individual components of the tensor g for [113]-, [111]-, and [110]-grown samples. We complement the experiments by a comprehensive theoretical study of Zeeman coupling in in-plane and out-of-plane fields B. To this end, we develop a detailed multiband theory for the tensor g. Using perturbation theory, we derive transparent analytical expressions for the components of the tensor g that we complement with accurate numerical calculations based on our theoretical framework. We obtain very good agreement between experiment and theory. Our study demonstrates that the tensor g is neither symmetric nor antisymmetric. Opposite off-diagonal components can differ in size by up to an order of magnitude. The tensor g encodes not only the Zeeman energy splitting but also the direction of the axis about which the spins precess in the external field B. In general, this axis is not aligned with B. Hence our study extends the general concept of optical orientation to the regime of nontrivial Zeeman coupling.
- ItemPolariton-driven phonon laser([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2020) Chafatinos, D.L.; Kuznetsov, A. .; Anguiano, S.; Bruchhausen, A.E.; Reynoso, A.A.; Biermann, K.; Santos, P.V.; Fainstein, A.Efficient generation of phonons is an important ingredient for a prospective electrically-driven phonon laser. Hybrid quantum systems combining cavity quantum electrodynamics and optomechanics constitute a novel platform with potential for operation at the extremely high frequency range (30–300 GHz). We report on laser-like phonon emission in a hybrid system that optomechanically couples polariton Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with phonons in a semiconductor microcavity. The studied system comprises GaAs/AlAs quantum wells coupled to cavity-confined optical and vibrational modes. The non-resonant continuous wave laser excitation of a polariton BEC in an individual trap of a trap array, induces coherent mechanical self-oscillation, leading to the formation of spectral sidebands displaced by harmonics of the fundamental 20 GHz mode vibration frequency. This phonon “lasing” enhances the phonon occupation five orders of magnitude above the thermal value when tunable neighbor traps are red-shifted with respect to the pumped trap BEC emission at even harmonics of the vibration mode. These experiments, supported by a theoretical model, constitute the first demonstration of coherent cavity optomechanical phenomena with exciton polaritons, paving the way for new hybrid designs for quantum technologies, phonon lasers, and phonon-photon bidirectional translators.
- ItemTerahertz quantum-cascade lasers for high-resolution absorption spectroscopy of atoms and ions in plasmas(Bristol : IOP Publ., 2023) Lü, X.; Röben, B.; Biermann, K.; Wubs, J.R.; Macherius, U.; Weltmann, K.-D.; van Helden, J.H.; Schrottke, L.; Grahn, H.T.We report on terahertz (THz) quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) based on GaAs/AlAs heterostructures, which exhibit single-mode emission at 3.360, 3.921, and 4.745 THz. These frequencies are in close correspondence to fine-structure transitions of Al atoms, N+ ions, and O atoms, respectively. Due to the low electrical pump power of these THz QCLs, they can be operated in a mechanical cryocooler in continuous-wave mode, while a sufficient intrinsic tuning range of more than 5 GHz is maintained. The single-mode operation and the intrinsic tuning range of these THz QCLs allow for the application of these lasers as radiation sources for high-resolution absorption spectroscopy to determine the absolute densities of Al atoms, N+ ions, and O atoms in plasmas.
- ItemSpatial self-organization of macroscopic quantum states of exciton-polaritons in acoustic lattices(Milton Park : Taylor & Francis, 2016) Buller, J.V.T.; Cerda-Méndez, E.A.; Balderas-Navarro, R.E.; Biermann, K.; Santos, P.V.Exciton-polariton systems can sustain macroscopic quantum states (MQSs) under a periodic potential modulation. In this paper, we investigate the structure of these states in acoustic square lattices by probing their wave functions in real and momentum spaces using spectral tomography. We show that the polariton MQSs, when excited by a Gaussian laser beam, self-organize in a concentric structure, consisting of a single, two-dimensional gap-soliton (GS) state surrounded by one dimensional (1D) MQSs with lower energy. The latter form at hyperbolical points of the modulated polariton dispersion. While the size of the GS tends to saturate with increasing particle density, the emission region of the surrounding 1D states increases. The existence of these MQSs in acoustic lattices is quantitatively supported by a theoretical model based on the variational solution of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation. The formation of the 1D states in a ring around the central GS is attributed to the energy gradient in this region, which reduces the overall symmetry of the lattice. The results broaden the experimental understanding of self-localized polariton states, which may prove relevant for functionalities exploiting solitonic objects.