Photonic-plasmonic hybrid microcavities: Physics and applications

Photonic-plasmonic hybrid microcavities, which possess a higher figure of merit Q/V (the ratio of quality factor to mode volume) than that of pure photonic microcavities or pure plasmonic nano-antennas, play key roles in enhancing light-matter interaction. In this review, we summarize the typical photonic-plasmonic hybrid microcavities, such as photonic crystal microcavities combined with plasmonic nano-antenna, whispering gallery mode microcavities combined with plasmonic nano-antenna, and Fabry-Perot microcavities with plasmonic nano-antenna. The physics and applications of each hybrid photonic-plasmonic system are illustrated. The recent developments of topological photonic crystal microcavities and topological hybrid nano-cavities are also introduced, which demonstrates that topological microcavities can provide a robust platform for the realization of nanophotonic devices. This review can bring comprehensive physical insights of the hybrid system, and reveal that the hybrid system is a good platform for realizing strong light-matter interaction.     

Single-Crystalline Optical Microcavities from Luminescent Dendrimers

Microcrystallites are promising minute mirrorless laser sources. A variety of luminescent organic compounds have been exploited along this line, but dendrimers have been inapplicable owing to their fragility and extremely poor crystallinity. Now, a dendrimer family that overcomes these difficulties is presented. First-, second-, and third-generation carbazole (Cz) dendrimers with a carbon-bridged oligo(phenylenevinylene) (COPV2) core (GnCOPV2, n=1–3) assemble to form microcrystals. The COPV2 cores align uni/bidirectionally in the crystals while the Cz units in G2- and G3COPV2 align omnidirectionally. The dendrons work as light-harvesting antennas that absorb non-polarized light and transfer it to the COPV2 core, from which a polarized luminescence radiates. Furthermore, these crystals act as laser resonators, where the lasing thresholds are strongly coupled with the crystal morphology and the orientation of COPV2, which is in contrast with the conventional amorphous dendrimers.     

Polariton-mediated Raman scattering in microcavities: A Green’s function approach

We present calculations of the intensity of polariton-mediated inelastic light scattering in semiconductor microcavities within a Green’s function framework. In addition to reproducing the strong coupling of light and matter, this method also enables the inclusion of damping mechanisms in a consistent way. Our results show excellent agreement with recent Raman scattering experiments.     

Ray–Wave Correspondence in Microstar Cavities

In a previous work published by the authors in 2020, a novel concept of light confinement in a microcavity was introduced which is based on successive perfect transmissions at Brewster’s angle. Hence, a new class of open billiards was designed with star-shaped microcavities where rays propagate on orbits that leave and re-enter the cavity. In this article, we investigate the ray–wave correspondence in microstar cavities. An unintuitive difference between clockwise and counterclockwise propagation is revealed which is traced back to nonlinear resonance chains in phase space.     

Ultra-strong light–matter coupling and superradiance using dense electron gases

The physics of the interaction between a dense two-dimensional electron gas and a microcavity photonic mode is reviewed. For high electronic densities, this system enters the ultra-strong coupling regime in which the Rabi energy, which measures the strength of the light–matter coupling, is of the same order of magnitude as the matter excitation. The ultra-strong coupling has been experimentally demonstrated by inserting a highly doped semiconductor layer between two metal plates that produce a microcavity, with extreme sub-wavelength confinement of the electromagnetic field. A record value at room temperature (73%) of the ratio between the Rabi and the matter excitation energies (the relative Rabi energy) has been measured together with a very large photonic gap induced by the polariton splitting. The ultra-strong coupling is a manifestation of a huge cooperative dipole, which is proportional to the number of electrons participating in the interaction. Such a phenomenal interaction with light appears also in the absence of a microcavity and, for a dipole coupled with free space, it gives rise to superradiance.     

Optical harmonic generation in amorphous silicon nitride microcavities

Second harmonic (SH) and third harmonic (TH) generation in amorphous silicon nitride microcavity are experimentally investigated. The transmitted SH and TH signals are measured in the 0.9-1.4 μm spectral range, showing enhanced nonlinear conversion efficiency corresponding to resonant wavelength and optical band edges. The efficiencies of the SH and TH generation processes are found to be enhanced by about two and one orders of magnitude, respectively, in comparison with the case of reference amorphous silicon nitride sample. The SH spectra can be reasonably interpreted as due to surface/interface harmonic generation, while the TH signal is related to bulk isotropic third-order polarization. The results obtained for the TH signal are discussed in terms of the linear optical properties of amorphous silicon nitride thin films.     

SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENTS OF THICKNESS AND TEMPERATURE PROFILE IN A WAVY LIQUID FILM FALLING FREELY ON A HEATING WALL

A technique far measuring the thickness of liquid films was developed and successfully tested. The feasibility of this technique was demonstrated in stagnant liquid films as well as in liquid jets. A procedure for in-situ calibration of the thickness probe was developed, allowing the adaptation of the probe to measurements of wavy liquid films. The thickness probe was constructed from a platinum-rhodium wire that was stretched across the film. A constant DC current was supplied through the probe wire, and film thickness was determined from variations in the probe voltage drop resulting from the large differences in the electrical resistances of the wetted and unwetted segments of the wire. Unlike electrical admittance thickness probes, the new probe did not require dissolving an electrolyte in the liquid, making the new probe well suited to studies involving sensible heating of a film of pure dielectric liquid that is in duvet contact with a current-carrying wall. Also presented is a composite probe that facilitated simultaneous measurements of temperature profile across a wavy liquid film and film thickness. Experimental results demonstrate a strong influence of wariness on liquid temperature in a film of deionized water falling freely on the outside wall of a vertical, electrically heated tube for film Reynolds numbers smaller than 10,000.     

Anisotropic Superfluidity in a Weakly Interacting Condensate of Quasi‐2D Photons

The anisotropic superfluidity in a weakly interacting two‐dimensional Bose gas of photons in a dye‐filled optical microcavity is investigated, taking into account the dependence of the photon effective mass on the in‐plane coordinate. With the use of the generalized Gross–Pitaevskii equation and the Bogoliubov approach, it is shown that the modulation of the microcavity width leads to an effective periodic potential and the periodicity of the condensate wave function, and both the condensate energy and the spectrum of elementary excitations depend on the direction of motion. The anisotropic character of the dynamical and superfluid properties, such as helicity modulus, superfluid density, and sound velocity, as well as experimentally observable manifestations of their anisotropy are described.     

Single‐Crystalline Optical Microcavities from Luminescent Dendrimers

Microcrystallites are promising minute mirrorless laser sources. A variety of luminescent organic compounds have been exploited along this line, but dendrimers have been inapplicable owing to their fragility and extremely poor crystallinity. Now, a dendrimer family that overcomes these difficulties is presented. First‐, second‐, and third‐generation carbazole (Cz) dendrimers with a carbon‐bridged oligo(phenylenevinylene) (COPV2) core (GnCOPV2, n=1–3) assemble to form microcrystals. The COPV2 cores align uni/bidirectionally in the crystals while the Cz units in G2‐ and G3COPV2 align omnidirectionally. The dendrons work as light‐harvesting antennas that absorb non‐polarized light and transfer it to the COPV2 core, from which a polarized luminescence radiates. Furthermore, these crystals act as laser resonators, where the lasing thresholds are strongly coupled with the crystal morphology and the orientation of COPV2, which is in contrast with the conventional amorphous dendrimers.