Localised excitation of a single photon source by a nanowaveguide

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a hybrid nanowire nanowaveguide system capable of locally exciting a single photon source with high efficiency, advancing integrated quantum photonics for quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid nanodevice using a nanowire nanowaveguide to locally excite a single photon source, achieving near free-space excitation efficiency.

Findings

Local excitation of a single photon source is feasible with nanowaveguides.

Achieved an absolute addressing efficiency of 10^-4, close to free-space methods.

Potential for electrically driven single photon sources and improved nanoscale emitter control.

Abstract

Nowadays, integrated photonics is a key technology in quantum information processing (QIP) but achieving all-optical buses for quantum networks with efficient integration of single photon emitters remains a challenge. Photonic crystals and cavities are good candidates but do not tackle how to effectively address a nanoscale emitter. Using a nanowire nanowaveguide, we realise an hybrid nanodevice which locally excites a single photon source (SPS). The nanowire acts as a passive or active sub-wavelength waveguide to excite the quantum emitter. Our results show that localised excitation of a SPS is possible and is compared with free-space excitation. Our proof of principle experiment presents an absolute addressing efficiency {\eta}a = 10-4 only 50% lower than the one using free-space optics. This important step demonstrates that sufficient guided light in a nanowaveguide made of a semiconductor nanowire is achievable to excite a single photon source. We accomplish a hybrid system offering great potentials for electrically driven SPSs and efficient single photon collection and detection, opening the way for optimum absorption/emission of nanoscale emitters. We also discuss how to improve the addressing efficiency of a dipolar nanoscale emitter with our system.