Imaging moiré deformation and dynamics in twisted bilayer graphene.

In 'magic angle' twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) a flat band forms, yielding correlated insulator behavior and superconductivity. In general, the moiré structure in TBG varies spatially, influencing the overall conductance properties of devices. Hence, to understand the wide variety of phase diagrams observed, a detailed understanding of local variations is needed.

Local detection efficiency of a NbN superconducting single photon detector explored by a scattering scanning near-field optical microscope.

We propose an experiment to directly probe the local response of a superconducting single photon detector using a sharp metal tip in a scattering scanning near-field optical microscope. The optical absorption is obtained by simulating the tip-detector system, where the tip-detector is illuminated from the side, with the tip functioning as an optical antenna. The local detection efficiency is calculated by considering the recently introduced position-dependent threshold current in the detector.

Fano resonances in a multimode waveguide coupled to a high-Q silicon nitride ring resonator.

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) optical ring resonators provide exceptional opportunities for low-loss integrated optics. Here we study the transmission through a multimode waveguide coupled to a Si3N4 ring resonator. By coupling single-mode fibers to both input and output ports of the waveguide we selectively excite and probe combinations of modes in the waveguide.

Surface plasmon lasing observed in metal hole arrays.

Surface plasmons in metal hole arrays have been studied extensively in the context of extraordinary optical transmission, but so far these arrays have not been studied as resonators for surface plasmon lasing at optical frequencies. We experimentally study a metal hole array with a semiconductor (InGaAs) gain layer placed in close (20 nm) proximity of the metal hole array. As a function of increasing pump power, we observe an intense and spectrally narrow peak, with a clear threshold.

An absorption-based superconducting nano-detector as a near-field optical probe.

We investigate the use of a superconducting nano-detector as a novel near-field probe. In contrast to conventional scanning near-field optical microscopes, the nano-detector absorbs and detects photons in the near-field. We show that this absorption-based probe has a higher collection efficiency and investigate the details of the interaction between the nano detector and the dipole emitter.

Experimental observation of strong edge effects on the pseudodiffusive transport of light in photonic graphene.

Photonic graphene is a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure that is analogous to graphene. We use 5 mm diameter Al2O3 rods placed on a triangular lattice with a lattice constant a=8 mm to create an isolated conical singularity in the photonic band structure at a microwave frequency of 17.6 GHz.

High finesse opto-mechanical cavity with a movable thirty-micron-size mirror.

We report on the demonstration of a high finesse micro-optomechanical system and identify potential applications ranging from optical cooling to weak force detection to massive quantum superpositions. The system consists of a high quality diameter flat dielectric mirror cut from a larger substrate with a focused ion beam and attached to an atomic force microscope cantilever. Cavity ring-down measurements performed on a 25 mm long Fabry-Pérot cavity with the 30 microm mirror at one end show an optical finesse of 2100.

Photon statistics from coupled quantum dots.

We present an optical study of two closely stacked self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots. The energy spectrum and correlations between photons subsequently emitted from a single pair provide not only clear evidence of coupling between the quantum dots but also insight into the coupling mechanism. Our results are in agreement with recent theories predicting that tunneling is largely suppressed between nonidentical quantum dots and that the interaction is instead dominated by dipole-dipole coupling and phonon-assisted energy transfer processes.

Nonlinear photonic crystals as a source of entangled photons.

Nonlinear photonic crystals can be used to provide phase matching for frequency conversion in optically isotropic materials. The phase-matching mechanism proposed here is a combination of form birefringence and phase velocity dispersion in a periodic structure. Since the phase matching relies on the geometry of the photonic crystal, it becomes possible to use highly nonlinear materials.

Optimal quantum cloning on a beam splitter.

We demonstrate how a beam splitter in combination with different light sources can be used as an optimal universal 1-->2 quantum cloner and as an optimal universal quantum NOT machine for the polarization qubit of a single photon. For the cloning a source of single photons with maximally mixed polarization is required and for the NOT operation a source of maximally entangled photon pairs. We demonstrate both operations with near optimal fidelity.