Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of South Carolina have proposed a novel method to enhance the emission rates of quantum light emitters using acoustic graphene plasmons (AGPs). The team, led by Dirk R. Englund of MIT and Michael N. Leuenberger of the University of South Carolina, published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
The researchers propose a unique geometry where AGPs are localized inside a cavity defined by a graphene sheet and a metallic nanocube. This cavity is filled with a dielectric material consisting of stacked layers of 2D materials, which contain impurities or defects that act as quantum light emitters. The team used finite-difference time domain (FDTD) calculations to demonstrate that this setup can achieve significant Purcell enhancement factors across a large portion of the infrared (IR) spectrum. Purcell enhancement refers to the increase in the spontaneous emission rate of a quantum emitter when it is placed in a resonant optical cavity.
The researchers found that their proposed geometry can achieve Purcell enhancement factors up to 6 orders of magnitude in the mid-IR and up to 4 orders of magnitude at telecommunications wavelengths. This enhancement is tunable and can be modulated in real time by adjusting the graphene Fermi energy via electrostatic gating. The team also demonstrated high quantum efficiencies, reaching 95% in the mid-IR and 89% at telecommunications wavelengths with high-mobility graphene.
The practical applications of this research for the energy sector are primarily in the field of quantum communication and quantum information processing. The ability to enhance and tune the emission rates of quantum light emitters could lead to more efficient and secure quantum networks, which could be used for various energy-related applications, such as smart grid management and secure communication between energy facilities. Additionally, the tunable nature of the proposed system could enable real-time modulation of fluorescence enhancement, which could be useful in developing advanced sensing technologies for energy systems.
In summary, the researchers have proposed a novel method to achieve tunable, giant Purcell enhancements for quantum light emitters using acoustic graphene plasmons. This research could have significant implications for the development of more efficient and secure quantum networks, with potential applications in the energy sector. The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.