Optical manipulation of group III atoms

We present details for the laser manipulation of group III atoms, specifically aluminum, gallium, and indium. The practical considerations of accomplishing this manipulation are discussed and alternative schemes are presented for each species. The possibility of using such an optical technique for composition modulation during semiconductor growth for the fabrication of quantum wire and quantum dot structures is also discussed. Received: 29 September 1999 / Published online: 5 April 2000     

Isotope selective loading of an ion trap using resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization

We have demonstrated that resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization of atomic beams provides an effective tool for isotope selective loading of ions into a linear Paul trap. Using a tunable, narrow-bandwidth, continuous wave (cw) laser system for the ionization process, we have succeeded in producing Mg⁺ and Ca⁺ ions at rates controlled by the atomic beam flux, the laser intensity, and the laser frequency detuning from resonance. We have observed that with a proper choice of control parameters, it is rather easy to load a specific number of ions into a string. This observation has direct applications in quantum optics and quantum computation experiments. Furthermore, resonant photo-ionization loading facilitates the formation of large isotope-pure Coulomb crystals. Received: 21 December 1999 / Published online: 11 May 2000     

Threshold of femtosecond laser-induced damage in transparent materials

The rate at which conduction-band electrons (CBE) absorb laser energy is calculated by both the quantum mechanical and the classical methods. Here fused silica irradiated with a 780-nm femtosecond-pulse laser is used as an example. It is found that the rate obtained by the quantum mechanical method is about one-third of that by the classical method, and it is much less than the direct-current limit. In the flux-doubling model, the avalanche rate in fused silica is 4 I  ps^-1 obtained by the quantum mechanical method, while it is about 13.7 I  ps^-1 by the classical method, where the laser intensity I is in units of TW cm^-2. The differential equation of the evolution of CBE density is solved numerically, and it is found that the combination of CBE–hole recombination, CBE diffusion and initial CBE density (<10¹³ cm^-3) is not important. The dependence of avalanche breakdown threshold on laser-pulse duration is presented. The threshold calculated by the quantum mechanical method agrees well with experimental results, while the threshold obtained by the classical method differs greatly from the experiments. Received: 18 December 2000 / Accepted: 27 April 2001 / Published online: 27 June 2001     

Classical and quantum control of electrons using the carrier‐envelope phase of strong laser fields

Electrons are among the lightest quantum particles in nature, yet they are of paramount importance in any kind of chemical reaction as they are the essence of molecular bonds. For several years, laser fields have been used towards the final goal of controlling chemical reaction dynamics. While early experiments focused mainly on the control of the internuclear wavefunction of rather heavy molecules, advances in short‐pulse laser technology now allow the control of lighter molecules all the way down to hydrogen and even the direct control of electrons and their quantum wavefunctions. In this context, the stabilization and control of the carrier‐envelope phase (CEP) of laser pulses has been one of the crucial technological advances that set off a revolution in ultrafast laser science. The authors review and summarize some of the past and current experimental achievements and theoretical ideas on CEP laser control of electrons. It will become clear that in some cases, depending on the control scenario, electrons can be considered to behave as classical particles and the control of their trajectories follow the laws of classical Newtonian mechanics while in other cases, the quantum nature of electrons is directly exploited to steer electron dynamics by means of quantum interference.     

Laser rapid thermal annealing of quantum semiconductor wafers: a one step bandgap engineering technique

We report on a new Laser Rapid Thermal Annealing (Laser-RTA) technique for one-step bandgap engineering at selected areas of quantum semiconductor wafers. The technique is based on using a 150 W 980 nm fiber coupled laser diode and a 30 W TEM00 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser for background heating and ‘writing’, respectively, the regions of the quantum well intermixed (QWI) material. The implementation of a 3D Finite Element Method for modeling of laser induced temperature profiles allows for the design of processing schemes that are required for accurate bandgap engineering at the wafer level. We demonstrate that arbitrary shaped lines of the QWI material can be fabricated with the Laser-RTA technique in InGaAs/InGaAsP quantum well microstructures.     

Temporal coherent control induced by wave packet interferences in one and two photon atomic transitions

The interaction of a sequence of two identical ultrashort laser pulses with an atomic system results in quantum interferences as in Ramsey fringes experiments. These interferences allow achievement of temporal coherent control of the excitation probability. We present the results of a temporal coherent control experiment on two different atomic systems: one-photon absorption in K (4s-4p) and two-photon absorption in Cs (6s-7d). In K, the quantum interferences between the two excitation paths associated with the laser pulses are revealed through rapid oscillations of the excitation probability as a function of the time delay between the two pulses. These oscillations take place at the transition frequency (period T = 2.56 fs). The interferences are modulated by beats (at about 580 fs) resulting from the doublet structure of the excited state (4p (² P _1/2 , ² P _3/2 )). Three complementary interpretations of this experiment are presented: in terms of beats of quantum interferences, of variation in the spectrum intensity, and of wave packet interferences. Whenever the two laser pulses are temporally overlapped, optical interferences are superimposed on to the quantum interferences. The distinction between these two types of interference is clearly revealed in the two-photon excitation scheme performed on Cs (6s-7d (² D _3/2 , ² D _5/2 )) because quantum interferences occur at twice the frequency of the optical interferences. Received: 30 December 1997 / Revised: 28 February 1998 / Accepted: 4 March 1998     

Laser cooling with electromagnetically induced transparency: application to trapped samples of ions or neutral atoms

A novel method of ground-state laser cooling of trapped atoms utilizes the absorption profile of a three- (or multi-) level system that is tailored by a quantum interference. With cooling rates comparable to conventional sideband cooling, lower final temperatures may be achieved. The method was experimentally implemented to cool a single Ca⁺ ion to its vibrational ground state. Since a broad band of vibrational frequencies can be cooled simultaneously, the technique will be particularly useful for the cooling of larger ion strings, thereby being of great practical importance for initializing a quantum register based on trapped ions. We also discuss its application to different level schemes and for ground-state cooling of neutral atoms trapped by a far-detuned standing wave laser field. Received: 10 July 2001 / Published online: 23 November 2001     

Quantum efficiency of Nd-doped lasers measured by pump-induced crystal heating: application to the Nd3+:Gd2(MoO4)3 crystal

In this paper we show how the quantum efficiency of Nd³⁺-doped laser crystals can be measured by means of a very simple method. This method is based on a multiwavelength study of pump-induced crystal heating, and its major advantage is the simplicity of the required experimental set-up. It has been used to determine the quantum efficiency of the main infrared laser channel (⁴ F _3/2?⁴ I _11/2) of the Nd³⁺:Gd₂(MoO₄)₃ non-linear laser crystal. The value obtained for the quantum efficiency (φ=0.97) is in good agreement with that obtained from the Judd–Ofelt formalism (φ=0.95). Received: 25 October 2000 / Revised version: 2 January 2001 / Published online: 27 April 2001     

The dependence of the intersubband transitions in square and graded QWs on intense laser fields

The intersubband absorption in square and graded quantum wells under a laser field is calculated within the framework of the effective mass approximation. We conclude that, for quantum wells with different shapes, the laser field amplitude induces an important effect on the electronic and optical properties of the semiconductor structure. This gives a new degree of freedom in various device applications based on the intersubband transition of electrons.     

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots: Potential tools for new diagnostic methods

We present and discuss the application of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots for diagnostic purposes, with special emphasis for cancer. We prepared and applied core-shell cadmium sulfide-cadmium hydroxide (CdS/Cd(OH)₂) semiconductor quantum dots in aqueous medium. Tissue and cells labeling was evaluated by laser scanning confocal microscopy as well as by conventional fluorescence microscopy. The procedure presented in this work, shown to be a promising tool for fast, low-cost and precise cancer diagnostic protocols.     

The progress towards terahertz quantum cascade lasers on silicon substrates

A review is presented of work over the last 10 years which has been aimed at trying to produce a Si‐based THz quantum cascade laser. Potential THz applications and present THz sources will be briefly discussed before the materials issues with the Si/SiGe system is discussed. Waveguide designs and waveguide losses will be presented. Experimental measurements of the non‐radiative lifetimes for intersubband transitions in Si_1‐xGe_x quantum wells will be presented along with theory explaining the important scattering mechanisms which determine the lifetimes. Examples of p‐type Si/SiGe quantum cascade designs with the experimental electroluminescence will be reviewed and examples of n‐type Si‐based designs will be presented. In the conclusion designs and structures will be discussed with the greatest potential to achieve an electrically pumped Si‐based THz laser.     

Quantum derivation of the excess noise factor in lasers with non-orthogonal eigenmodes

By generalizing recently obtained results we calculate the excess noise factor (Petermann factor) for a laser system with non-orthogonal eigenmodes. The quantum consistency of the calculation is shown through the explicit conservation of input-output commutation rules. As a result of the calculation, the excess noise in the lasing mode is shown to depend on the laser gain below threshold, and on the noise analysis frequency below and above threshold. Received: 27 October 1998 / Received in final form: 11 March 1999     

Theoretical Study of Quantum Bit Rate in Free-Space Quantum Cryptography

The quantum bit rate is an important operating parameter in free-space quantum key distribution. We introduce the measuring factor and the sifting factor, and present the expressions of the quantum bit rate based on the ideal single-photon sources and the single-photon sources with Poisson distribution. The quantum bit rate is studied in the numerical simulation for the laser links between a ground station and a satellite in a low earth orbit. The results show that it is feasible to implement quantum key distribution between a ground station and a satellite in a low earth orbit.     

Laser intracavity absorption spectroscopy

Emission spectra of multimode lasers are very sensitive to spectrally selective extinction in their cavity. This phenomenon allows the quantitative measurement of absorption. The sensitivity of measurements of intracavity absorption grows with the laser pulse duration. The ultimate sensitivity obtained with a cw laser is set by various perturbations of the light coherence, such as quantum noise, Rayleigh scattering, four-wave mixing by population pulsations, and stimulated Brillouin scattering. It depends on the particular laser type used, and on its operative parameters, for example pump power, cavity loss, cavity length, and length of the gain medium. Nonlinear mode-coupling dominates the dynamics of lasers that feature a thin gain medium, such as dye lasers, whereas Rayleigh scattering is more important in lasers with a long gain medium, such as doped fibre lasers, or the Ti:sapphire laser. The highest sensitivity so far has been obtained with a cw dye laser. It corresponds to 70000 km effective length of the absorption path. The ultimate spectral resolution is determined by the spectral width of mode emission, which is 0.7 Hz in this dye laser. High sensitivity and high temporal and spectral resolution allow various practical applications of laser intracavity spectroscopy, such as measurements and simulations of atmospheric absorption, molecular and atomic spectroscopy, process control, isotope separation, study of free radicals and chemical reactions, combustion diagnostics, spectroscopy of excited states and nonlinear processes, measurements of gain and of spectrally narrow light emission. Intracavity absorption in single-mode lasers shows enhanced sensitivity as well, although not as high as in multimode lasers. Received: 10 May 1999 / Published online: 29 July 1999     

Coherent Phase Control of Multiphoton Ionization in Three-Level Ladder-Type System

We present the theoretical investigation of photoelectron spectroscopy resulting from the strong field induced multiphoton ionization in a typical three-level ladder-style system. Our theoretical results show that the photo-electron spectral structure can be alternatively steered by spectral phase modulation. This physical mechanism for strong field quantum control is explicitly exploited by the time-dependent dressed state population. It is concluded that the phase-shaped laser pulses can be used to selectively manipulate the multiphoton ionization process in complicated quantum systems.     

Design and application of a femtosecond optical parametric oscillator for time-resolved spectroscopy of semiconductor heterostructures

Femtosecond pulses of a collinearly pumped Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) are applied for investigations of the carrier dynamics in ternary and quaternary semiconductor quantum wells. The design and the specifications of the OPO are given in detail. We show that no measurable jitter exists between the pump pulses and the output pulses of the OPO. Therefore, it is possible to use the OPO and its pump laser for two-color experiments with a time resolution limited by the pulse lengths. We present and discuss results of transient four-wave mixing experiments on (InGa) As/InP quantum wells, and find a new kind of polarization-dependent quantum beat phenomenon. In addition, non-degenerate experiments on quantum wells from the quaternary (InGaAl) As material system, using two pulses at different wavelengths (one from the OPO and one from the pump laser), are discussed as a novel experimental technique to study carrier trapping into quantum wells.     

Influence of electron-electron scattering on electron relaxation rates in three and four-level quantum cascade lasers in magnetic fields

The aim of this work is to calculate carrier relaxation rates from the upper laser level due to electron-electron interactions in three and four-level quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in a strong magnetic field. The comparison between calculated results and previously obtained values for acoustical and optical-phonon scattering processes indicates that carrier-carrier scattering might have noticeable influence on laser output properties, depending on the structural design. Numerical results are presented for two λ ∼ 9 μm GaAs-based QCLs in magnetic fields between 20 T and 60 T and the band nonparabolicity is taken into account.     

Nonclassical effect in the MIT output coupler for the Bose–Einstein condensate

A quantum dynamical theory for output coupler of the trapped Bose–Einstein condensate is presented under no rotating wave approximation (RWA) based on the MIT experiment (Phys. Rev. Lett. 78 (1997) 582) for the atom laser. We show that the nonclassical properties, such as sub-Poisson distribution and quadrature squeezing effect, can exist in the outcoupled atomic pulse as time evolves, which indicates an interesting optical control on quantum statistics of the atom laser through varying the strength of the input light.     

Laser field induced interband absorption in a strained GaAs/GaAlAs double quantum well system

Effect of laser field intensity on exciton binding energies is investigated in a GaAs/ GaAlAs double quantum well system. Calculations have been carried out with the variational technique within the single band effective mass approximations using a two parametric trial wave function. The interband emission energy as a function of well width is calculated in the influence of laser field. The laser field induced photoionization cross-section for the exciton placed at the centre of the quantum well is computed as a function of normalized photon energy. The dependence of the photoionization cross-section on photon energy is carried out for the excitons. The resulting spectra are brought out for light polarized along and perpendicular to the growth direction. The intense laser field dependence of interband absorption coefficient is investigated. The results show that the exciton binding energy, interband emission energy, the photoionization cross-section and the interband absorption coefficient depend strongly on the well width and the laser field intensity. Our results are compared with the other existing literature available.     

Optical bistability in a triple semiconductor quantum well structure with tunnelling-induced interference

We study the behavior of optical bistability (OB) in a triple semiconductor quantum well structure with tunnelling-induced interference, where the system is driven coherently by the probe laser inside the unidirectional ring cavity. The results show that we are able to control efficiently the bistable threshold intensity and the hysteresis loop by tuning the parameters of the system such as laser frequency and tunnelling-induced frequency splitting. This investigation can be used for the development of new types of nanoelectronic devices for realizing switching process.