Quantum theory of electron tunneling into intersubband cavity polariton states

TL;DR

This paper develops a non-perturbative quantum theory to understand how strong light-matter coupling in microcavities alters electron states in a two-dimensional electron gas, revealing new pathways for polariton electroluminescence.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum framework for electron-cavity interactions, highlighting Fano-like coupling and the potential for resonant tunneling to excite superradiant polariton states.

Findings

Electron spectral functions are significantly modified by light-matter interactions.

Resonant tunneling can selectively excite superradiant intersubband polariton states.

Efficient intersubband polariton electroluminescence can be achieved through this mechanism.

Abstract

Through a non-perturbative quantum theory, we investigate how the quasi-electron excitations of a two-dimensional electron gas are modified by strong coupling to the vacuum field of a microcavity. We show that the electronic dressed states originate from a Fano-like coupling between the bare electron states and the continuum of intersubband cavity polariton excitations. In particular, we calculate the electron spectral function modified by light-matter interactions and its impact on the electronic injection of intersubband cavity polaritons. The domain of validity of the present theoretical results is critically discussed. We show that resonant electron tunneling from a narrow-band injector can selectively excite superradiant states and produce efficient intersubband polariton electroluminescence.