Integrated nanoplasmonic quantum interfaces for room temperature single photon sources

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytical framework for nanoplasmonic cavity-emitter systems interacting with dielectric waveguides, revealing optimal conditions for single photon extraction efficiency and indistinguishability at room temperature.

Contribution

It introduces a model that predicts the optimal cavity modal volume and highlights the trade-off between efficiency and indistinguishability in room temperature single photon sources.

Findings

Optimal modal volume balances waveguide coupling and emission enhancement.

Near-unity indistinguishability requires very small modal volume.

Maximizing efficiency times indistinguishability favors weak coupling regime.

Abstract

We describe a general analytical framework of a nanoplasmonic cavity-emitter system interacting with a dielectric photonic waveguide. Taking into account emitter quenching and dephasing, our model directly reveals the single photon extraction efficiency, $\eta$, as well as the indistinguishability, $I$, of photons coupled into the waveguide mode. Rather than minimizing the cavity modal volume, our analysis predicts an optimum modal volume to maximize $\eta$ that balances waveguide coupling and spontaneous emission rate enhancement. Surprisingly, our model predicts that near-unity indistinguishability is possible, but this requires a much smaller modal volume, implying a fundamental performance trade-off between high $\eta$ and $I$ at room temperature. Finally, we show that maximizing $\eta I$ requires that the system has to be driven in the weak coupling regime because quenching effects and decreased waveguide coupling drastically reduce $\eta$ in the strong coupling regime.