Performance of the nanopost single-photon source: beyond the single-mode model

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the physics of nanopost single-photon sources, revealing that scattering to radiation modes significantly impacts collection efficiency and Purcell enhancement, which is not captured by simple models.

Contribution

It demonstrates that a standard single-mode model is insufficient and highlights the role of scattering in improving device performance and design strategies.

Findings

Scattering from the fundamental mode to radiation modes affects efficiency.

Maximum collection efficiency occurs off-resonance due to scattering.

Scattering mechanisms can be exploited for better single-photon source design.

Abstract

We present a detailed analysis of the physics governing the collection efficiency and the Purcell enhancement of the nanopost single-photon source. We show that a standard single-mode Fabry-P\'erot model is insufficient to describe the device performance, which benefits significantly from scattering from the fundamental mode to radiation modes. We show how the scattering mechanism decouples the collection efficiency from the Purcell enhancement, such that maximum collection efficiency is obtained off-resonance. Finally, we discuss how this scattering mechanism can be beneficial for future single-photon source designs.