Quantum Dot-Photonic Crystal Lasers

0424080VUCKOVICPI提出了两种新型的量子点-光子晶体激光器：二维耦合光子晶体谐振器阵列(CPCRA)激光器和单量子点激光器。前者是基于他最近提出的CPCRA结构；这种激光器由于光子晶体微腔中的自发辐射率的大幅提高而表现出较低的工作阈值，以及由于数百个光子晶体微腔激光器在一片芯片上的相位耦合而产生的更高的输出功率(相对于传统的光子晶体微腔激光器)。他提出的第二种激光器是单量子点激光器，这代表了激光小型化的极限。这种激光器将基于他提出的具有单量子点激子的腔量子电动力学(QED)的光子晶体微腔，并将代表最近展示的单原子激光器的固态等效。然而，单量子点激光器不需要非常复杂的原子捕获机制，这限制了单原子激光器的运行时间。在应用层面上，开发具有低阈值和高输出功率的光子晶体激光器是其大多数拟议的商业应用的关键。此外，单量子点激光器的发展对于超低功率激光器的应用将是非常重要的，因为这种结构将具有比任何传统激光器更低的阈值。在基本层面上，单个量子点激光器的展示将为研究腔QED和固态量子光学提供机会，而不是使用囚禁在腔内的原子。最后，作为该项目的一部分，PI还将开发一个从基础科学(量子光学、量子信息科学和介观物理)到工程(光子学和光电子学)的综合研究和教育项目。国际和平研究所相信，新一代研究人员和技术人员对教育的投资将使光子晶体和量子光学在未来得到充分开发。此外，通过让其他科学领域的研究人员熟悉他的工作，他可能会创造新的应用和研究方向。

0424080VUCKOVICThe PI proposes to build two novel types of quantum dot-photonic crystal lasers: a two-dimensional coupled photonic crystal resonator array (CPCRA) laser, and a single quantum dot laser. The former is based on CPCRA structures that he has proposed recently; such a laser would exhibit low operating threshold resulting from a large spontaneous emission rate enhancement in photonic crystal microcavities, together with increased output power (relative to conventional photonic crystal microcavity lasers) resulting from the phase-coupled operation of hundreds of photonic crystal microcavity lasers on a chip. The second type of laser that he proposes is a single quantum dot laser, which represents an ultimate limit in laser miniaturization. This laser would be based on photonic crystal microcavities that he has proposed for cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) with a single quantum dot exciton, and would represent a solid-state equivalent of a single atom laser demonstrated recently. However, a single quantum dot laser would not require a very complicated atom trapping mechanism, which limits the duration of a single-atom laser operation at present.On the application level, the development of photonic crystal lasers with low threshold and increased output power is crucial for most of their proposed commercial applications. In addition, the development of a single quantum dot laser would be of great importance for ultra-low-power laser applications, as the structure would have lower threshold than any conventional laser. On the fundamental level, the demonstration of a single quantum dot laser would open opportunities to study cavity QED and quantum optics in the solid state instead of using atoms trapped inside cavities. Finally, as part of this project, the PI will also develop an integrated research and educational program ranging from fundamental science (quantum optics, quantum information science, and mesoscopic physics) to engineering (photonics and optoelectronics). The PI believes that an investment into education of a new generation of researchers and technologists will enable exploitation of photonic crystals and quantum optics at their full potential in the future. Moreover, by making researchers in other fields of science familiar with his work, he will possibly create new applications and research directions.