Realizing robust superfluorescence from nanocrystal superlattices

在题为“从纳米晶体超晶格中实现强大的超荧光”的项目中，将研究以规则方式组装的半导体纳米晶体的发射，类似于晶体中的原子排列。这种组装的纳米晶体被认为具有同步发射特性。也许对日常生活中这种现象最好的理解是，在一场音乐会结束时，每个人都在同一时间爆发出掌声，就好像是在提示一样。这种同步发射为新兴的量子信息科学领域提供了高亮度光子的潜在来源。然而，尽管有这种潜力，目前人们对这种现象知之甚少。因此，这项工作将进行协调一致的实验和理论研究，目的是看看它是否可以在室温下变得坚固和可观察。在该项目的广泛影响部分，将为当地社区教育工作者开发能够进行单粒子成像的低成本便携式显微镜。将建造多达五台显微镜，通过与巴黎圣母院能源中心的合作，当地教育工作者将接受培训，向学生展示和使用这些显微镜。生产先进的非经典光源是实现量子信息科学最终应用的关键。单分子、冷原子、色心、纳米结构和量子点都被作为确定性光子的来源进行了探索。然而，新的量子通信协议需要更高亮度的纠缠光子源。按需超荧光光子提供了一个潜在的解决方案。本项目将采用协调一致的理论和实验研究来研究最近报道的CsPbBr3纳米晶体固态超晶格中的超荧光。这首先需要开发一个微观模型来描述纳米晶体超荧光。随后的实验研究将着重于通过控制超晶格的大小和形状来确定纳米晶体超晶格超荧光的出现。这些研究还涉及对单个纳米晶体超晶格进行空间和时间分辨（fs-ps时间尺度）发射显微镜和光谱测量，以了解更多关于超荧光动力学和超晶格电子/结构紊乱对其鲁棒性的影响。这些研究的最终目标是实现强大的室温超荧光。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In the project entitled “Realizing robust superfluorescence from nanocrystal superlattices”, the emission from semiconductor nanocrystals assembled in a regular fashion, akin to the arrangement of atoms in a crystal, will be investigated. Such assembled nanocrystals are thought to exhibit synchronized emission. Perhaps the best way to think of this phenomenon in everyday life is if everyone broke into applause at the end of a concert at exactly the same time, as if on cue. Such synchronized emission represents a potential source of high brightness photons for the emerging field of quantum information science. Yet despite this potential, very little is currently understood about the phenomenon. The work will therefore conduct concerted experimental and theoretical studies with the aim of seeing whether it can be made robust and observable at room temperature. In the broader impacts part of the project, low cost, portable microscopes, capable of single particle imaging, will be developed for local community educators. Up to five microscopes will be built and, through collaboration with Notre Dame’s Energy Center, local educators will be trained to use and demonstrate these microscopes to their students.The production of advanced, non-classical light sources is key to realizing eventual applications of quantum information science. Single molecules, cold atoms, color centers, nanostructures, and quantum dots have all been explored as sources of deterministic photons. New quantum communications protocols, however, require even higher brightness sources of entangled photons. On-demand, superfluorescent photons offer a potential solution. This project will investigate recently reported superfluorescence in solid state superlattices of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals using concerted theoretical and experimental studies. This first entails developing a microscopic model to describe nanocrystal superfluorescence. Accompanying experimental studies will focus on establishing the emergence of nanocrystal superlattice superfluorescence through control of superlattice size and shape. These studies also involve conducting spatially- and temporally-resolved (fs-ps timescale) emission microscopy and spectroscopy measurements on individual nanocrystal superlattices to learn more about superfluorescence dynamics and the influence superlattice electronic/structural disorder has on its robustness. The ultimate goal of these studies is to realize robust, room temperature superfluorescence.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.