Quantum optical models for nanolaser and nanolaser arrays

• Applicant: Dr. Christopher Gies
• Subject Area: Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2017 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 388836079

With this proposal I apply only for Sachmittel: 1) for a stay of Dr. Paul Gartner at the University of Bremen for a duration of two months, 2) for travel costs to present the results obtained in this project at the Photonics West conference in 2018, and 3) for publication of the obtained results.Together with the guest Dr. Paul Gartner, this project aims at developing new laser models for two-dimensional gain media. This includes novel laser structures, such as nanobeam cavities with semiconductor quantum-well gain media, and further extends to atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides that can act as gain material when placed on top of photonic crystal cavities. In contrast to conventional edge-emitting lasers, the structures that are to be investigated in this project are high-beta lasers, i.e. systems, in which high-quality nanocavities are used to tailor spontaneous emission itself, and in which lasing takes place in the presence of locally strong electromagnetic fields. Dr. Garters expertise with two-dimensional semiconductors and Greens' function methods will be of great value for the planned investigations.A second research topic concerns disorder effects in Jaynes-Cummings lattices, such as resulting from fluctuations in the spectral position of cavity modes, that are generally present in lithographically or epitaxially grown semiconductor structures. When several individual nanolasers are coupled to form a cavity array, the properties sensitively depend on such fluctuations. Based on preliminary work, in which ideal and identical building blocks of the array have been considered, together with Dr. Gartner disorder effects will be investigated. This will put us in a position to specify parameter conditions in connection with the fabrication of Jaynes-Cummings lattices made from qunatum-dot micropillar laser arrays. Furthermore, the developed models and the progress made will enable us to study quantum phase transitions and correlation effects under technically realistic conditions.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants