We map the weak modal transformation of a polarized optical Gaussian beam reflected o
a surface using an optical confocal scanning setup, designed to detect the resonance fluorescence of a quantum emitter. Such challenging measurements require the suppression of laser background by several order of magnitudes. Normally, high quality commercial crossed polarizers allows a laser suppression down to 5 to 6 orders of magnitudes. Surprisingly, when used in combination with a reflecting surface, the extinction ratio is boosted up to 9 order of magnitudes. This unexpected but very welcome enhancement finds its origin in the Imbert-Fedorov effect, which manifests itself in the reflectivity of a Gaussian laser beam off a mirror. In this work, we note that this effect give rise to a cross-polarized component carried by a TEM01 Hermite-Gaussian spatial mode which we imaged using a confocal scanning technique for the first time
In this paper, we demonstrate a very efficient electrical spin injection into an ensemble of InAs/InGaAs quantum dots at zero magnetic field. The circular polarization of the electroluminescence coming from the dots, which are embedded into a GaAs-based Spin Light Emitting diode reaches a value as large as 20% at low temperature. In this device, no external magnetic field is required in order to inject or read spin polarization thanks to the use of an ultrathin CoFeB electrode (1.1 nm), as well as p-doped quantum dots (with one hole per dot in average) as an optical probe. The electroluminescence circular polarization of the dots follows the hysteresis loop of the magnetic layer and decreases as a function of bias for large voltages. In a reverse way, we have also investigated the possibility to use such a device as a photodetector presenting a photon helicity-dependent photocurrent. We observe a weak asymmetry of photocurrent under right and left polarized light that follows the hysteresis cycle of the magnetic layer, and the effect decreases for increasing temperatures and can be controlled by the bias.
The spectacular progress in controlling the electronic properties of graphene has triggered research in alternative atomically thin two-dimensional crystals. Monolayers (ML) of transition-metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2 have emerged as very promising nanostructures for optical and spintronics applications. Inversion symmetry breaking together with the large spin-orbit interaction leads to a coupling of carrier spin and k-space valley physics, i.e., the circular polarization (σ+ or σ−) of the absorbed or emitted photon can be directly associated with selective carrier excitation in one of the two nonequivalent K valleys (K+ or K−, respectively).
We have investigated the spin and valley properties for both neutral and charged excitons in transition metal dichalcogenide monolayer MoS2, MoSe2 and WSe2 with cw and time-resolved polarized photoluminescence spectroscopy [1,2]. The key role played by exciton exchange interaction will be presented [3]. We also demonstrate that the optical alignment of excitons (“exciton valley coherence”) can be achieved following one or two photon excitation [1,4].
Finally recent results on magneto-photoluminescence spectroscopy on MoSe2 and WSe2 in Faraday configuration up to 9 T will be presented; the results will be discussed in the framework of a k.p theory [5].
[1] G. Wang et al, PRL 114, 97403 (2015)
[2] G. Wang et al, Nature Com. 6, 10110 (2015)
[3] J. P. Echeverry, ArXiv 1601.07351 (2016)
[4] G. Wang et al, PRL 115, 117401 (2015)
[5] G. Wang et al, 2D Mat. 2, 34002 (2015)
We report on optical orientation experiments in GaAs epilayers with excitation energies in the 3 eV region,
leading the photo-generation of spin-polarized electrons in the satellite L valley. From both continuous-wave and
time resolved measurements we show that a significant fraction of the electron spin memory can be conserved
when the electron is scattered from the L to the Γ valley following an energy relaxation of several hundreds
of meV. A typical L-valley electron spin relaxation time of 200 fs is deduced, in agreement with theoretical
calculations.
Optical and spin properties of individual GaAs droplet dots in AlGaAs barriers are studied in photoluminescence
experiments at 4K. First we report strong mixing of heavy hole-light hole states. Using the neutral and charged
exciton emission as a monitor we observe the direct consequence of quantum dot symmetry reduction in this strain free system. By fitting the polar diagram of the emission with simple analytical expressions obtained from k•p theory we are able to extract the mixing that arises from the heavy-light hole coupling due to the geometrical asymmetry of the quantum dot. Second we report optical orientation experiments. Circularly polarized optical excitation yields strong circular polarization of the resulting photoluminescence. Optical injection of spin polarized electrons into a GaAs dot gives rise to dynamical nuclear polarization that considerably changes the exciton Zeeman splitting (Overhauser shift). We show that the created nuclear polarization is bistable and present a direct measurement of the build-up time of the nuclear polarization in a single GaAs dot in the order of one second.
The energy states in semiconductor quantum dots are discrete as in atoms, and quantum states can be coherently
controlled with resonant laser pulses. Long coherence times allow the observation of Rabi-flopping of a single
dipole transition in a solid state device, for which occupancy of the upper state depends sensitively on the dipole
moment and the excitation laser power. We report on the robust preparation of a quantum state using an optical
technique that exploits rapid adiabatic passage from the ground to an excited state through excitation with laser
pulses whose frequency is swept through the resonance.
An electron spin confined to a semiconductor quantum dot is not subject to the classical spin relaxation mechanisms
known for free carriers but it strongly interacts with the nuclear spin system via the hyperfine interaction.
We show in time resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy experiments on ensembles of self assembled InAs
quantum dots in GaAs that this interaction leads to strong electron spin dephasing. By analysing the polarization
state of photons absorbed or emitted by individual dots we show how optical pumping of electron spins
leads in turn to a strong nuclear polarisation that can be measured via a drastic change in the Zeeman splitting
in magneto-photoluminescence experiments.
We have investigated the electron and hole spin dynamics in p-doped semiconductor InAs/GaAs quantum dots by time resolved photoluminescence. We observe a decay of the average electron spin polarisation down to 1/3 of its initial value with a characteristic time of TΔ ≈ 500ps. We attribute this decay to the hyperfine interaction of the electron spin with randomly orientated nuclear spins. Magnetic field dependent studies reveal that this efficient spin relaxation mechanism can be suppressed by a field in the order of 100mT. In pump-probe like experiments we demonstrate that the resident hole spin, "written" with a first pulse, remains stable long enough to be "read" 15ns later with a second pulse.
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