Near-infrared quantum cutting in transparent nanostructured glass ceramics

Quantum cutting downconversion involving the emission of two near-infrared photons for each blue photon absorbed is realized in transparent glass ceramics with embedded Pr3+/Yb3+: beta-YF3 nanocrystals. On excitation of Pr3+ ions with a visible photon at 482 nm, Yb3+ ions emit two near-infrared photons at 976 nm through an efficient cooperative energy transfer from Pr3+ to Yb3+, with optimal quantum efficiency close to 200%. The development of the near-infrared quantum cutting transparent glass ceramic could open a route to enhance the energy efficiency of the silicon solar cell by converting one blue solar photon to two near-infrared ones.     

Light concentration effects on the performance of the p-i-n quantum dot solar cells: A simulation study

J–V characteristics and efficiency as a function of active region thickness of the p-i-n intermediate band solar cells have been calculated. We compared the maximum efficiency point of three different cells made of well-known materials. Each cell includes a different size of quantum dot in the i-region that causes different intermediate band position. Numerical optimizations have been done by adjusting parameters such as the combination of band gap, mismatch as well as the specific structure of the cell. In addition, it is illustrated that the maximum efficiency point increases with increasing the incident light concentration in the radiative limit. This article considered that using light concentrators can be useful to enhance the efficiency of the solar cell with respect to manufacturing and cost improvements.     

Red and near infrared down-conversion in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped YF3 performed by quantum cutting

Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ co-doped YF₃ powder is prepared by combining a nitrate decomposition method with a NH₄HF₂ fluorization process, from which efficient energy transfer induced down-conversion is achieved. An absorbed 365 nm near ultraviolet photon is split into two photons of 650 nm red and 1000 nm near infrared radiations, both falling in the responding region of Si-based solar cells. The quantum cutting mechanism has been proposed and discussed and the energy transfer efficiency for the quantum cutting is evaluated by developing an emission intensity ratio contrast method. The investigation might offer a new possible approach to achieve Si-based solar cells of high efficiency by down-converting the near ultraviolet part of the solar spectrum.     

Two-site entropy and quantum phase transitions in low-dimensional models

We propose a new approach to study quantum phase transitions in low-dimensional lattice models. It is based on studying the von Neumann entropy of two neighboring central sites in a long chain. It is demonstrated that the procedure works equally well for fermionic and spin models, and the two-site entropy is a better indicator of quantum phase transition than calculating gaps, order parameters, or the single-site entropy. The method is especially convenient when the density-matrix renormalization-group algorithm is used.     

Hydrostatic pressure dependence of excitonic optical transitions in strained wurtzite GaN/AlN quantum disks

In the framework of the effective mass approximation, the effects of hydrostatic pressure on optical transitions associated with the excitons confined in strained wurtzite (WZ) GaN/AlN quantum disks (QDisks) with the confinement potential of finite depth are investigated by using a variational technique, with considering the influences of the built-in electric field (BEF) and the biaxial strain dependence of material parameters. The Schrödinger equation via the proper choice of the exciton trial wave function is solved. The behaviors of the excitonic optical transition are examined at different pressures for different QDisk sizes. In our calculations, the effective masses of electron and hole, dielectric constants, phonon frequencies, energy gaps, and piezoelectric polarizations are taken into account as functions of biaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure. Numerical results show that the hydrostatic pressure and the QDisk size have a remarkable influence on exciton states. The calculated pressure coefficient of optical transition energy shows a negative value if the QDisk height L > 3.2 nm, in contrast with the positive pressure coefficient of the GaN band gap. The peculiar pressure behavior is related to the pressure-induced increase of the built-in electric field. For a fixed pressure, the optical transition energy has a red-shift if the QDisk height and radius increase and QDisk height has a more obvious influence on E_ph than QDisk radius. Furthermore, the relationship between the radiative decay time and hydrostatic pressure (QDisk height) is also investigated. It is found that the radiative decay time increases with pressure and the increment tendency is more prominent for the large height QDisks. The radiative decay time strongly increases by three orders of magnitude reaching microsecond order if the QDisk height increases from 1 nm to 3 nm.     

Spectroscopic study of oscillator strength and radiative decay time of colloidal CdSe quantum dots

Characterization of samples of cadmium selenide quantum dots (CdSe) QDs dissolved in toluene colloidal solutions at a concentration of 1.4 mg/ml was carried out through UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The size-dependent absorption and red-shifted PL emission peak wavelengths could be tuned between 510–576 and 545–606 nm respectively. Optical absorption spectral measurements yielded CdSe QDs having diameters about ~ 2.44–3.69 nm with energy gaps 2.32–2.08 eV which are higher than the bulk CdSe (1.74 eV) reminiscent of quantum confinement. This is found to be in good agreement with the semi-empirical pseudopotential model. In addition, the first excitonic absorption transition 1S_(e)1S_3/2(h) oscillator strength and the corresponding fluorescence radiative decay time of CdSe QDs are assessed using relevant Einstein relations for absorption and emission in a two-level system. The elaborated calculations would anticipate that the transition oscillator scale with the CdSe QD radius as ~ R^2.54. Correspondingly, the calculated radiative decay times decrease from 56.4 to 23.2 ns which scale with CdSe QDs radius as ~ R^?2.155 in fairly good agreement with experimental values reported in the literature.     

Penetration of a symmetric light pulse through a wide quantum well

The reflection, transmission, and absorption of a symmetric electromagnetic pulse whose carrier frequency is close to the frequency of the interband transition in a quantum well are calculated. The energy levels in the quantum well are assumed to be discrete, and one excited level is taken into account. Consideration is given to the case of a sufficiently wide quantum well when the pulse wavelength corresponding to the carrier frequency is comparable to the quantum well width and when allowance should be made for the dependence of the matrix element of the interband transition on the photon wave vector. The calculations are performed with due regard for the difference between the refractive indices of the material of the quantum well and the barrier at an arbitrary ratio of the reciprocal radiative to nonradiative lifetimes of the excited level of the electronic system. It is demonstrated that the inclusion of the spatial dispersion and the difference in the refractive indices most strongly affects the reflection of the electromagnetic pulse, because the reflection due to interband transitions in the quantum well is accompanied by an additional reflection from the quantum well boundaries. Compared to the previously considered model, the most radical changes in the reflection are observed in the case when the reciprocal nonradiative lifetime of the excited state is substantially longer than the reciprocal radiative lifetime.     

Photon emission during intraband tunneling through quantum well structures

Radiative transitions associated with intraband electron tunneling through DC biased quantum well structures are analyzed theoretically. Spontaneous emission and stimulated emission of photons within the quantum well structure are calculated and estimates are made of the radiative transition rate in comparison with the damping loss. The absence of an inherent long wavelength emission cutoff is in contrast with interband transition devices and suggests applications of intraband transition devices as far infrared or microwave sources.     

Enhanced single-photon emission from quantum dots in photonic crystal waveguides and nanocavities

A theoretical formalism is presented to investigate enhanced radiative decay of excited dipoles in photonic crystal waveguides and nanocavities with a view to achieving efficient single-photon emission from embedded quantum dots. Surprisingly, large enhancement effects are achievable in both waveguides and nanocavities, and enhanced emission in the waveguide is shown to scale proportionally (inversely) with the photon group index (velocity). Further, a way to include radiative coupling of the quantum dot is shown, and the importance of its inclusion is subsequently demonstrated.     

Retardation effects in quantum dot systems coupled via one-dimensional waveguides

We investigate the retardation effect on the radiative decay and entanglement of two quantum dots. The retardation effect is found to be very weak if the dots are coupled to free-space vacuum reservoir. To enhance the effect, we propose to embed the dots inside a one-dimensional waveguide. It is found that populations and entanglement can saturate to non-vanishing values with appropriate conditions. Furthermore, entanglement sudden-rise and sudden-fall are also observed due to this non-Markovian retardation.     

Near-field mechanism of photoluminescence excitation in quantum well heterostructures

We report a study into the process of energy transfer between quantum wells divided by 30-nm-thick opaque barriers. It was experimentally observed that the intensity of a photoluminescence signal from a quantum well increased by 15% under resonant excitation of exciton transition in the adjacent quantum well. The quantum wells were 30 nm apart. A radiative mechanism of energy transfer in the near-field region of emitting exciton is proposed. Within this theoretical model, the efficiency of the energy transfer decreases by a power law with greater distance between the quantum wells. The theory is found to be in qualitative agreement with the experimental results.     

Production of photocurrent due to intermediate-to-conduction-band transitions: a demonstration of a key operating principle of the intermediate-band solar cell

We present intermediate-band solar cells manufactured using quantum dot technology that show for the first time the production of photocurrent when two sub-band-gap energy photons are absorbed simultaneously. One photon produces an optical transition from the intermediate-band to the conduction band while the second pumps an electron from the valence band to the intermediate-band. The detection of this two-photon absorption process is essential to verify the principles of operation of the intermediate-band solar cell. The phenomenon is the cornerstone physical principle that ultimately allows the production of photocurrent in a solar cell by below band gap photon absorption, without degradation of its output voltage.     

The strain relaxation of InAs/GaAs self-organized quantum dot

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the dependence of degree of strain relaxation of the self-organized InAs/GaAs quantum dot on the geometrical parameters. Differently shaped quantum dots arranged with different transverse periods are simulated in this analysis. It investigates the total residual strain energy that stored in the quantum dot and the substrate for all kinds of quantum dots with the same volume, as well as the dependence on both the aspect ratio and transverse period. The calculated results show that when the transverse period is larger than two times the base of the quantum dots, the influence of transverse periods can be ignored. The larger aspect ratio will lead more efficient strain relaxation. The larger angle between the faces and the substrate will lead more efficient strain relaxation. The obtained results can help to understand the shape transition mechanism during the epitaxial growth from the viewpoint of energy, because the strain relaxation is the main driving force of the quantum dot's self-organization.     

Exciton relaxation in PbS quantum dots

Exciton relaxation in PbS quantum dots (QDs) in glass and tetrachloroethylene have been investigated and the radiative and non‐radiative relaxation rates of the lowest 1S–1S state have been measured. An estimate of the carrier intra‐band transition rates and their transfer efficiency is calculated. The dependence of the exciton dynamics on the QD surface properties is presented and discussed. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Global quantum discord and quantum phase transition in XY model

We study the relationship between the behavior of global quantum correlations and quantum phase transitions in XY model. We find that the two kinds of phase transitions in the studied model can be characterized by the features of global quantum discord (GQD) and the corresponding quantum correlations. We demonstrate that the maximum of the sum of all the nearest neighbor bipartite GQDs is effective and accurate for signaling the Ising quantum phase transition, in contrast, the sudden change of GQD is very suitable for characterizing another phase transition in the XY model. This may shed lights on the study of properties of quantum correlations in different quantum phases.     

Theoretical study of quantum confined Stark shift in InAs／GaAs quantum dots

The quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) of the self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots has been investigated theoretically. The ground-state transition energies for quantum dots in the shape of a cube, pyramid or “truncated pyramid” are calculated and analysed. We use a method based on the Green function technique for calculating thestrain in quantum dots and an efficient plane-wave envelope-function technique to determine the ground-state electronic structure of them with different shapes. The symmetry of quantum dots is broken by the effect of strain. So the properties of carriers show different behaviours from the traditional quantum device. Based on these results, we also calculate permanent built-in dipole moments and compare them with recent experimental data. Our results demonstrate that the measured Stark effect in self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot structures can be explained by including linear grading.     

Enhancement of the quantum efficiency of a fluorescence cesium filter

The dependence of the quantum efficiency of fluorescence cesium vapor filters, which allow one to select with a high contrast the desired narrow-band signal against the background of broadband (solar) radiation, is studied. The most important characteristic of such filters, apart from the spectral band, is the quantum efficiency; i.e., the ratio of the number of florescent photons to the number of absorbed photons of excitation. It is experimentally shown that addition of a buffer gas to working cesium atoms can substantially increase the quantum efficiency as compared with that of working atoms in vacuum. The dependence of the quantum efficiency on the characteristic of transitions that are involved in population of atomic levels from which fluorescence occurs, and the processes resulting in an increase in the quantum efficiency of atomic fluorescence filters are considered.     

Anisotropic emission of interface fluctuation quantum dots

We calculate energy levels, dipole moments and radiative broadening of interface fluctuation quantum dots. For optically allowed states, the dipole moment grows proportionally to the lateral quantum dot radius while the radiative broadening saturates towards the quantum well radiative broadening for large lateral quantum dot radii. This is accompanied by a change in the angular emission pattern, concentrating emission in forward and backward direction. Optically forbidden states do not couple to light propagating in the growth direction yet they may have a considerable radiative broadening due to spontaneous emission in other directions. Received 20 March 2002 Published online 25 June 2002     

Rounding by disorder of first-order quantum phase transitions: emergence of quantum critical points

We give a heuristic argument for disorder rounding of a first-order quantum phase transition into a continuous phase transition. From both weak and strong disorder analysis of the N-color quantum Ashkin-Teller model in one spatial dimension, we find that, for N > or =3, the first-order transition is rounded to a continuous transition and the physical picture is the same as the random transverse field Ising model for a limited parameter regime. The results are strikingly different from the corresponding classical problem in two dimensions where the fate of the renormalization group flows is a fixed point corresponding to N-decoupled pure Ising models.     

Enhancement of feasibility of macroscopic quantum superposition state with the quantum Rabi-Stark model

We propose an efficient scheme to generate a macroscopical quantum superposition state with a cavity optomechanical system, which is composed of a quantum Rabi-Stark model coupling to a mechanical oscillator. In a low-energy subspace of the Rabi-Stark model, the dressed states and then the effective Hamiltonian of the system are given. Due to the coupling of the mechanical oscillator and the atom-cavity system, if the initial state of the atom-cavity system is one of the dressed states, the mechanical oscillator will evolve into a corresponding coherent state. Thus, if the initial state of the atom-cavity system is a superposition of two dressed states, a coherent state superposition of the mechanical oscillator can be generated. The quantum coherence and their distinguishable properties of the two coherent states are exhibited by Wigner distribution. We show that the Stark term can enhance significantly the feasibility and quantum coherence of the generated macroscopic quantum superposition state of the oscillator.