Markus Geiser

Ultrastrong coupling regime and plasmon polaritons in parabolic semiconductor quantum wells.

Ultrastrong coupling is studied in a modulation-doped parabolic potential well coupled to an inductance-capacitance resonant circuit. In this system, in accordance to Kohns theorem, strong reduction of the energy level separation caused by the electron-electron interaction compensates the depolarization shift. As a result, a very large ratio of 27% of the Rabi frequency to the center resonance frequency as well as a polariton gap of width 2π × 670  GHz are observed, suggesting parabolic quantum wells as the system of choice in order to explore the ultrastrong coupling regime.

Room temperature terahertz polariton emitter

Terahertz (THz) range electroluminescence from intersubband polariton states is observed in the ultra strong coupling regime, where the interaction energy between the collective excitation of a dense electron gas and a photonic mode is a significant portion of the uncoupled excitation energy. The polaritons increased emission efficiency along with a parabolic electron confinement potential allows operation up to room temperature in a nonresonant pumping scheme. This observation of room temperature electroluminescence of an intersubband device in the THz range is a promising proof of concept for more powerful THz sources.

Strong light-matter coupling at terahertz frequencies at room temperature in electronic LC resonators

Strong light-matter coupling at room temperature in the terahertz (THz) range is demonstrated. The studied system consists of electronic intersubband transitions in AlxGa1−xAs parabolic quantum wells coupled to an electronic LC microcavity resonator allowing strong subwavelength confinement of the cavity mode. The measured Rabi frequency is 0.48 THz, corresponding to 14% of the center frequency, independent of the temperature of the system in the range 10–300 K.

Surface-emitting terahertz quantum cascade laser source based on intracavity difference-frequency generation

We report a surface-emitting terahertz source based on intracavity difference-frequency generation in dual-wavelength midinfrared quantum cascade lasers with integrated giant second-order nonlinear susceptibility. The terahertz light is coupled out of the waveguide by a second-order grating etched into the laser ridges. In contrast to sources where the difference-frequency radiation is extracted from the facet, this approach enables extraction of the terahertz emission from the whole length of the device even when the coherence length is small.

Multi-Beam Multi-Wavelength Semiconductor Lasers

Multibeam emission and spatial wavelength demultiplexing in semiconductor lasers by patterning their facets with plasmonic structures is reported. Specifically, a single-wavelength laser was made to emit beams in two directions by defining on its facet two metallic gratings with different periods. The output of a dual-color laser was spatially separated according to wavelength by using a single metallic grating. The designs can be integrated with a broad range of active or passive optical components for applications such as interferometry and demultiplexing.

Gain competition in dual wavelength quantum cascade lasers

We investigated dual wavelength mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers based on heterogeneous cascades. We found that due to gain competition laser action tends to start in higher order lateral modes. The mid-infrared mode with the lower threshold current reduces population inversion for the second laser with the higher threshold current due to stimulated emission. We developed a rate equation model to quantitatively describe mode interactions due to mutual gain depletion.

Surface-emitting THz sources based on difference-frequency generation in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers

We report a surface-emitting THz source based on intracavity difference-frequency generation in dual-wavelength midinfrared quantum cascade lasers with integrated giant second-order nonlinear susceptibility. The THz light is coupled out of the waveguide by a second-order grating etched into the laser ridges. In contrast to sources where the difference-frequency radiation is emitted from the facet, this approach enables extraction of the THz emission from the whole length of the device even when the coherence length is small. We also studied the properties of the mid-infrared pump beams and found that due to gain competition, mid-infrared modes tend to start lasing in higher order lateral modes. The mid-infrared mode with the lower threshold current reduces population inversion for the second laser with the higher threshold current due to stimulated emission. We developed a rate equation model to quantitatively describe mode interactions due to mutual gain depletion.

Terahertz intersubband polariton tuning by electrical gating.

Intersubband polaritons in the THz range are observed by coupling intersubband transitions in parabolic quantum wells to metallic microcavities. The polaritonic states are tuned in frequency by electrically modulating the electron density in the device using a gate. Tuning of 140 Ghz is observed at a lower polariton frequency of 2.5 THz in reflection measurements. Biasing the structure for electroluminescence measurements also modulates the electron density, which can lead to differential electroluminescence line shapes.

Standoff detection from diffusely scattering surfaces using dual quantum cascade laser comb spectroscopy

Using dual optical frequency comb (OFC) spectroscopy in the longwave infrared (LWIR), we demonstrate standoff detection of trace amounts of target compounds on diffusely scattering surfaces. The OFC is based on quantum cascade lasers (QCL) that emit ~1 Watt of optical power under cw operation at room temperature over coherent comb bandwidths approaching 100 cm-1. We overlap two nearly identical 1250 cm-1 QCL OFC sources so that the two interfering optical combs create via heterodyne a single comb in the radio frequency (rf) that represents the entire optical spectrum in a single acquisition. In a laboratory scale demonstration we show detection of two spectrally distinct fluorinated silicone oils, poly(methyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropylsiloxane) and Krytox™, that act as LWIR simulants for security relevant compounds whose room temperature vapor pressure is too low to be detected in the gas phase. These target compounds are applied at mass loadings of 0.3 to 90 μg/cm2 to sanded aluminum surfaces. Only the diffusely scattered light is collected by a primary collection optic and focused onto a high speed (0.5 GHz bandwidth) thermoelectrically cooled mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. At standoff distances of both 0.3 and 1 meter, we demonstrate 3 μg/cm2 and 1 μg/cm2 detection limits against poly(methyl-3,3,3-trifluoropropylsiloxane) and Krytox™, respectively.

Single-Shot Sub-microsecond Mid-infrared Spectroscopy on Protein Reactions with Quantum Cascade Laser Frequency Combs.

The kinetic analysis of irreversible protein reactions requires an analytical technique that provides access to time-dependent infrared spectra in a single shot. Here, we present a spectrometer based on dual-frequency-comb spectroscopy using mid-infrared frequency combs generated by quantum cascade lasers. Attenuation of the intensity of the combs by molecular vibrational resonances results in absorption spectra covering 55 cm-1 in the fingerprint region. The setup has a native resolution of 0.3 cm-1, noise levels in the μOD range, and achieves sub-microsecond time resolution. We demonstrate the simultaneous recording of both spectra and transients of the photoactivated proton pump bacteriorhodopsin. More importantly, a single shot, i.e., a single visible light excitation, is sufficient to extract spectral and kinetic characteristics of several intermediates in the bacteriorhodopsin photocycle. This development paves the way for the noninvasive analysis of enzymatic conversions with high time resolution, broad spectral coverage, and minimal sample consumption.