Mahi R. Singh

Dipole-dipole interaction in a quantum dot and metallic nanorod hybrid system

We have studied quantum coherence and interference phenomena in a quantum dot (QD)-metallic nanorod (MNR) hybrid system. Probe and control laser fields are applied to the hybrid system. Induced dipole moments are created in the QD and the MNR, and they interact with each other via the dipole-dipole interaction. Using the density matrix method, it was found that the power spectrum of MNR has two transparent, states and they can be switched to one transparent state by the control field. Ultrafast switching and sensing nanodevices could be produced using this model.

Enhancement of the second-harmonic generation in a quantum dot?metallic nanoparticle hybrid system

We have investigated the second-harmonic generation (SHG) and dipole-dipole interaction in a quantum dot and metallic nanoparticle hybrid system. A strong probe field is applied to create two-photon absorption in the quantum dot and metallic nanoparticle. SHG photons and SHG surface plasmon polaritons are emitted by the quantum dot and metallic nanoparticle, respectively. Induced dipoles are created in the quantum dot and the metallic nanoparticle due to two-photon absorption and hence both systems interact with each other via the dipole-dipole interaction. It is found that SHG signals produced by the quantum dot and nanoparticle are enhanced by the dipole-dipole interaction and also that the SHG signal can be switched on and off by applying a control field. The theoretical findings of this paper are supported by recent experimental studies. The present hybrid system can be used to fabricate nano-sensors and all-optical nano-switching devices.

Optical switching in nonlinear photonic crystals lightly doped with nanostructures

A possible switching mechanism has been investigated for nonlinear photonic crystals doped with an ensemble of non-interacting three-level nanoparticles. In this scheme, an intense pump laser field is used to change the refractive index of the nonlinear photonic crystal while a weaker probe field monitors an absorption transition in the nanoparticles. In the absence of the strong laser field the system transmits the probe field when the resonance energy of the nanoparticles lies near the edge of the photonic band gap due to strong coupling between the photonic crystal and the nanoparticles. However, upon application of an intense pump laser field the system becomes absorbing due to a band edge frequency shift that arises due to a nonlinear Kerr effect which changes the refractive index of the crystal. It is anticipated that the optical switching mechanism described in this work can be used to make new types of photonic devices.

Dipole-dipole interaction between a quantum dot and a graphene nanodisk

We study theoretically the dipole-dipole interaction and energy transfer in a hybrid system consisting of a quantum dot and graphene nanodisk embedded in a nonlinear photonic crystal. In our model, a probe laser field is applied to measure the energy transfer between the quantum dot and graphene nanodisk, while a control field manipulates the energy transfer process. These fields create excitons in the quantum dot and surface plasmon polaritons in the graphene nanodisk which interact via the dipole-dipole interaction. Here, the nonlinear photonic crystal acts as a tunable photonic reservoir for the quantum dot, and is used to control the energy transfer. We have found that the spectrum of power absorption in the quantum dot has two peaks due to the creation of two dressed excitons in the presence of the dipole-dipole interaction. The energy transfer rate spectrum of the graphene nanodisk also has two peaks due to the absorption of these two dressed excitons. Additionally, energy transfer between the quantum dot and the graphene nanodisk can be switched on and off by applying a pump laser to the photonic crystal or by adjusting the strength of the dipole-dipole interaction. We show that the intensity and frequencies of the peaks in the energy transfer rate spectra can be modified by changing the number of graphene monolayers in the nanodisk or the separation between the quantum dot and graphene. Our results agree with existing experiments on a qualitative basis. The principle of our system can be employed to fabricate nanobiosensors, optical nanoswitches, and energy transfer devices.

Plasmonic electromagnetically induced transparency in metallic nanoparticle-quantum dot hybrid systems.

We study the variation of the energy absorption rate in a hybrid semiconductor quantum dot-metallic nanoparticle system doped in a photonic crystal. The quantum dot is taken as a three-level V-configuration system and is driven by two applied fields (probe and control). We consider that one of the excitonic resonance frequencies is near to the plasmonic resonance frequency of the metallic nanoparticle, and is driven by the probe field. The other excitonic resonance frequency is far from both the plasmonic resonance frequency and the photonic bandgap edge, and is driven by the control field. In the absence of the photonic crystal we found that the system supports three excitonic-induced transparencies in the energy absorption spectrum of the metallic nanoparticle. We show that the photonic crystal allows us to manipulate the frequencies of such excitonic-induced transparencies and the amplitude of the energy absorption rate.

Giant Faraday rotation in Bi x Ce 3-x Fe 5 O 12 epitaxial garnet films

Thin films of Bi(x)Ce(3-x)Fe(5)O(12) with x = 0.7 and 0.8 compositions were prepared by using pulsed laser deposition. We investigated the effects of processing parameters used to fabricate these films by measuring various physical properties such as X-ray diffraction, transmittance, magnetization and Faraday rotation. In this study, we propose a phase diagram which provides a suitable window for the deposition of Bi(x)Ce(3-x)Fe(5)O(12) epitaxial films. We have also observed a giant Faraday rotation of 1-1.10 degree/µm in our optimized films. The measured Faraday rotation value is 1.6 and 50 times larger than that of CeYIG and YIG respectively. A theoretical model has been proposed for Faraday rotation based on density matrix method and an excellent agreement between experiment and theory is found.

Controlling the photoluminescence of acceptor and donor quantum dots embedded in a nonlinear photonic crystal

We have studied energy transfer and photoluminescence in donor and acceptor quantum dots embedded in a nonlinear photonic crystal. The quantum dots are interacting with each other via the dipole-dipole interaction. The nonlinear photonic crystal modifies the dielectric constant of the hybrid system. Using the density matrix method, it is found that the energy transfer and photoluminescence in the donor quantum dot can be controlled by a pump field due to the nonlinearity of the photonic crystal. Additionally, our theoretical calculations agree with recent experiments. This hybrid system can be used to fabricate ultrafast switching and sensing nanodevices.

A study of the ac Stark effect in doped photonic crystals

In this paper we present calculations of level populations and susceptibility for an ensemble of five-level atoms doped in a photonic crystal, using the master equation method. The atoms in the ensemble interact with the crystal which acts as a reservoir and are coupled with two strong pump fields and a weak probe field. It is found that, by manipulating the resonance energy associated with one of the decay channels of the atom, the system can be switched between an inverted and a non-inverted state. We have also observed the ac Stark effect in these atoms and have shown that due to the role played by the band structure of the photonic crystal, it is possible to switch between an absorption state and a non-absorption state of the atomic system. This is a very important finding as techniques of rendering material systems transparent to resonant laser radiation are very desirable in the fabrication of novel optical and photonic devices.

Plasmon-enhanced terahertz emission in self-assembled quantum dots by femtosecond pulses

A scheme for terahertz (THz) generation from intraband transition in a self-assembled quantum dot (QD) molecule coupled to a metallic nanoparticle (MNP) is analyzed. The QD structure is described as a three-level atom-like system using the density matrix formalism. The MNP with spherical geometry is considered in the quasistatic approximation. A femtosecond laser pulse creates a coherent superposition of two subbands in the quantum dots and produces localized surface plasmons in the nanoparticle which act back upon the QD molecule via dipole-dipole interaction. As a result, coherent THz radiation with a frequency corresponding to the interlevel spacing can be obtained, which is strongly modified by the presence of the MNP. The peak value of the terahertz signal is analyzed as a function of nanoparticles size, the MNP to QD distance, and the area of the applied laser field. In addition, we theoretically demonstrate that the terahertz pulse generation can be effectively controlled by making use of a train of femtosecond laser pulses. We show that by a proper choice of the parameters characterizing the pulse train a huge enhancement of the terahertz signal is obtained.

Energy transfer between a biological labelling dye and gold nanorods

We have demonstrated energy transfer between a biological labelling dye (Alexa Fluor 405) and gold nanorods experimentally and theoretically. The fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and density matrix method are used to study a hybrid system of dye and nanorods under one- and two-photon excitations. Energy transfer between dye and nanorods via the dipole-dipole interaction is found to cause a decrease in the fluorescence lifetime change. Enhanced energy transfer from dye to nanorods is measured in the presence of an increased density of nanorods. This study has potential applications in fluorescence lifetime-based intra-cellular sensing of bio-analytes as well as nuclear targeting cancer therapy.