Martin V. Gustafsson

Lead halide perovskite nanowire lasers with low lasing thresholds and high quality factors

The remarkable performance of lead halide perovskites in solar cells can be attributed to the long carrier lifetimes and low non-radiative recombination rates, the same physical properties that are ideal for semiconductor lasers. Here, we show room-temperature and wavelength-tunable lasing from single-crystal lead halide perovskite nanowires with very low lasing thresholds (220 nJ cm(-2)) and high quality factors (Q ∼ 3,600). The lasing threshold corresponds to a charge carrier density as low as 1.5 × 10(16) cm(-3). Kinetic analysis based on time-resolved fluorescence reveals little charge carrier trapping in these single-crystal nanowires and gives estimated lasing quantum yields approaching 100%. Such lasing performance, coupled with the facile solution growth of single-crystal nanowires and the broad stoichiometry-dependent tunability of emission colour, makes lead halide perovskites ideal materials for the development of nanophotonics, in parallel with the rapid development in photovoltaics from the same materials.

Propagating phonons coupled to an artificial atom

Quantum information can be stored in micromechanical resonators, encoded as quanta of vibration known as phonons. The vibrational motion is then restricted to the stationary eigenmodes of the resonator, which thus serves as local storage for phonons. In contrast, we couple propagating phonons to an artificial atom in the quantum regime and reproduce findings from quantum optics, with sound taking over the role of light. Our results highlight the similarities between phonons and photons but also point to new opportunities arising from the characteristic features of quantum mechanical sound. The low propagation speed of phonons should enable new dynamic schemes for processing quantum information, and the short wavelength allows regimes of atomic physics to be explored that cannot be reached in photonic systems. The acoustic vibrations in a crystal can be used for quantum information processing. [Also see Perspective by Ruskov and Tahan] A sound proposition for quantum communication Quantum computers exploit the quantum-mechanical properties of materials to store and manipulate information stored in the quantum states of atoms or artificial atoms. Although there are a number of quantum platforms under investigation already, Gustafsson et al. present another, based on the propagation of sound waves on the surface of a crystal (see the Perspective by Ruskov and Tahan). The ability to tune the system and the slow propagation speeds of the acoustic waves offer new opportunities to control and process quantum information. Science, this issue p. 207; see also p. 165

Local probing of propagating acoustic waves in a gigahertz echo chamber

In the same way that micro-mechanical resonators resemble guitar strings and drums, surface acoustic waves resemble the sound these instruments produce, but moving over a solid surface rather than through air. In contrast with oscillations in suspended resonators, such propagating mechanical waves have not before been studied near the quantum mechanical limits. Here, we demonstrate local probing of surface acoustic waves with a displacement sensitivity of 30 amRMS Hz^(−1/2) and detection sensitivity on the single-phonon level after averaging, at a frequency of 932 MHz. Our probe is a piezoelectrically coupled single-electron transistor, which is sufficiently fast, non-destructive and localized to enable us to track pulses echoing back and forth in a long acoustic cavity, self-interfering and ringing the cavity up and down. We project that strong coupling to quantum circuits will enable new experiments, and hybrids using the unique features of surface acoustic waves. Prospects include quantum investigations of phonon–phonon interactions, and acoustic coupling to superconducting qubits for which we present favourable estimates.

Andreev tunneling in charge pumping with SINIS turnstiles

We present measurements on hybrid single-electron turnstiles with superconducting leads contacting a normal island (SINIS). We observe Andreev tunneling of electrons influencing the current plateau characteristics of the turnstiles under radio-frequency pumping. The data is well accounted for by numerical simulations. We verify the dependence of the Andreev tunneling rate on the turnstiles charging energy. Increasing the charging energy effectively suppresses the Andreev current.

Quantum Acoustics with Surface Acoustic Waves

It has recently been demonstrated that surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can interact with superconducting qubits at the quantum level. SAW resonators in the GHz frequency range have also been found to have low loss at temperatures compatible with superconducting quantum circuits. These advances open up new possibilities to use the phonon degree of freedom to carry quantum information. In this paper, we give a description of the basic SAW components needed to develop quantum circuits, where propagating or localized SAW-phonons are used both to study basic physics and to manipulate quantum information. Using phonons instead of photons offers new possibilities which make these quantum acoustic circuits very interesting. We discuss general considerations for SAW experiments at the quantum level and describe experiments both with SAW resonators and with interaction between SAWs and a qubit. We also discuss several potential future developments.

Ambipolar Landau levels and strong band-selective carrier interactions in monolayer WSe 2

Monolayers (MLs) of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exhibit unusual electrical behaviour under magnetic fields due to their intrinsic spin–orbit coupling and lack of inversion symmetry1–15. Although recent experiments have also identified the critical role of carrier interactions within these materials11,15, a complete mapping of the ambipolar Landau level (LL) sequence has remained elusive. Here we use single-electron transistors (SETs)16,17 to perform LL spectroscopy in ML WSe2, and provide a comprehensive picture of the electronic structure of a ML TMD for both electrons and holes. We find that the LLs differ notably between the two bands, and follow a unique sequence in the valence band (VB) that is dominated by strong Zeeman effects. The Zeeman splitting in the VB is several times higher than the cyclotron energy, far exceeding the predictions of a single-particle model and, moreover, tunes significantly with doping15. This implies exceptionally strong many-body interactions, and suggests that ML WSe2 can serve as a host for new correlated-electron phenomena.Measurements of the chemical potential in a monolayer of WSe2 using a single electron transistor sensing scheme allows for the exact mapping of the level spacing of Landau levels of monolayer WSe2 in the conductance and valence bands.

Charge Saturation and Intrinsic Doping in Electrolyte-Gated Organic Semiconductors.

Electrolyte gating enables low voltage operation of organic thin film transistors, but little is known about the nature of the electrolyte/organic interface. Here we apply charge-modulation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, in conjunction with electrical measurements, on a model electrolyte gated organic semiconductor interface: single crystal rubrene/ion-gel. We provide spectroscopic signature for free-hole like carriers in the organic semiconductor and unambiguously show the presence of a high density of intrinsic doping of the free holes upon formation of the rubrene/ion-gel interface, without gate bias (Vg = 0 V). We explain this intrinsic doping as resulting from a thermodynamic driving force for the stabilization of free holes in the organic semiconductor by anions in the ion-gel. Spectroscopy also reveals the saturation of free-hole like carrier density at the rubrene/ion-gel interface at Vg < -0.5 V, which is commensurate with the negative transconductance seen in transistor measurements.

Acousto-electric single-photon detector

We propose a novel concept for a semiconductor-based single-photon detector for quantum information processing, which is capable of discriminating the number of photons in a light pulse. The detector exploits the charge transport by a surface acoustic wave (SAW) in order to combine a large photon absorption area (thus providing high photon collection efficiency) with a microscopic charge detection area, where the photo generated charge is detected with resolution at the single electron level using single electron transistors (SETs). We present preliminary results on acoustic transport measured in a prototype for the detector as well as on the fabrication of radio-frequency single-electron transistors (RFSETs) for charge detection. The photon detector is a particular example of acousto-electric nanocircuits that are expected to be able to control both the spatial and the spin degrees of freedom of single electrons. If realized, these circuits will contribute substantially to a scalable quantum information technology.

Photon‐Assisted Tunneling in a Resistive Electron Pump

The tunneling rate in a 4‐junction electron pump with an on‐chip resistor has been measured under irradiation with 18 GHz microwaves. The rate at fixed frequency increases exponentially with microwave amplitude, which is consistent with measurements made on pumps without resistors.