Two-dimensional materials as ideal substrates for molecular quantum emitters

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to explore how 2D materials like hBN influence the optical emission properties of organic molecules, highlighting their potential as ideal substrates for quantum emitters.

Contribution

It provides detailed theoretical insights into the interaction between organic molecules and 2D substrates, revealing how these substrates affect emission features relevant for quantum technologies.

Findings

Zero phonon line energies match experimental data

Antisite defects immobilize molecules without affecting emission

Substrates introduce sharp sidebands near ZPL

Abstract

The generation and manipulation of non-classical states of light is central to quantum technologies. Color centers in insulators have been extensively studied for single-photon generation, but organic molecules immobilized on substrates have gained attention due to their superior scalability, large oscillator strengths, and tunable emission frequency. Here, we use first-principles calculations to investigate the photoemission from organic molecules adsorbed on 2D materials. Focusing on terrylene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), we obtain zero phonon line (ZPL) energies and emission lineshapes in excellent agreement with experiments. Notably, antisite defects in hBN can immobilize the molecule without influencing its key emission features. We further show that the main effect of the 2D substrate is to introduce sharp sidebands near the ZPL as a fingerprint of hindered rotational, translational, or bending modes of the molecule. Our findings provide insight into how substrate interactions shape the optical properties of molecular systems for quantum applications.