Search

Current carrying chiral edge states in quantum Hall systems have fascinating properties that are usually studied by electron spectroscopy and interferometry. Here we demonstrate that electron occupation, current, and electron coherence in chiral edge states can be selectively probed and controlled by low-energy electromagnetic radiation in the microwave to infrared range without affecting electron states in the bulk or destroying quantum Hall effect conditions in the bulk of the sample. Both linear and nonlinear optical control is possible due to inevitable violation of adiabaticity and inversion symmetry breaking for electron states near the edge. This opens up new pathways for frequency- and polarization-selective spectroscopy and control of individual edge states., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures

We present a general formalism and specific implementation of quantum gates based on interaction of single photons with open dissipative nanocavities containing ensembles of quantum emitters. Rich dynamics of entangled bright and dark states of quantum emitters coupled to a nanocavity field gives rise to efficient manipulation of the quantum state of an incident photon. In its simplest implementation, an initial preparation of the state of quantum emitters by a classical optical pulse controls the polarization state of the reflected photon., Comment: 16 pages and 2 figures

We propose a conceptual model of a toroidal flux qubit, which consists of a quantized toroidal magnetic flux coupled to a charged particle on a quantum ring through field-free interaction. Scaling the system to two or more flux qubits results in emergent field-free coupling between them. We show that the topological and nonlocal aspects of this system can have profound applications in quantum information. We illustrate it with examples of nonlocal operations on these flux qubits which are protected from environmental noise, including creating entanglement and ``teleporting'' excitation energy between the flux qubits., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

We develop a general nonperturbative formalism and propose a specific scheme for maximally efficient generation of biphoton states by parametric decay of single photons. We show that the well-known critical coupling concept of integrated optics can be generalized to the nonlinear coupling of quantized photon modes to describe the nonperturbative optimal regime of a single-photon nonlinearity and establish a fundamental upper limit on the nonlinear generation efficiency of quantum-correlated photons, which approaches unity for low enough absorption losses., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

In mirror-symmetric systems, there is a possibility of the realization of extended gapless electronic states characterized as nodal lines or rings. Strain induced modifications to these states lead to emergence of different classes of nodal rings with qualitatively different physical properties. Here we study optical response and the electromagnetic wave propagation in type I nodal ring semimetals, in which the low-energy quasiparticle dispersion is parabolic in momentum $k_x$ and $k_y$ and is linear in $k_z$. This leads to a highly anisotropic dielectric permittivity tensor in which the optical response is plasmonic in one spatial direction and dielectric in the other two directions. The resulting normal modes (polaritons) in the bulk material become hyperbolic over a broad frequency range, which is furthermore tunable by the doping level. The propagation, reflection, and polarization properties of the hyperbolic polaritons not only provide valuable information about the electronic structure of these fascinating materials in the most interesting region near the nodal rings but also pave the way to tunable hyperbolic materials with applications ranging from anomalous refraction and waveguiding to perfect absorption in ultrathin subwavelength films., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

Many-body Coulomb interactions drastically modify the optical response of highly doped semiconductor quantum wells leading to a merger of all intersubband transition resonances into one sharp peak at the frequency substantially higher than all single-particle transition frequencies. Starting from standard density matrix equations for the gas of pairwise interacting fermions within Hartree-Fock approximation, we show that this effect is due to Coulomb-induced synchronization of the oscillations of coherences of all $N$ intersubband transitions and sharp collective increase in their coupling with an external optical field. In the high doping limit, the dynamics of light-matter interaction is described by the analytic theory of $N$ coupled oscillators which determines new collective normal modes of the system and predicts the frequency and strength of the blueshifted collective resonance., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures

We study quantum dynamics of many-qubit systems strongly coupled to a quantized electromagnetic cavity field in the presence of decoherence and dissipation for both fermions and cavity photons, and taking into account the varying coupling strength of different qubits to the cavity field and the spread of their transition frequencies. Compact analytic solutions for time-dependent quantum state amplitudes and observables are derived for a broad class of open quantum systems in Lindblad approximation with the use of the stochastic Schroedinger equation approach. We show that depending on the initial quantum state preparation, an ensemble of qubits can evolve into a rich variety of many-qubit entangled states with destructive or constructive interference between the qubits. In particular, when only a small fraction of qubits is initially excited, the dissipation in a cavity will inevitably drive the system into robust dark states that are completely decoupled from the cavity and live much longer than the decay time of the cavity field. We also determine the conditions under which coherent coupling to the quantized cavity field overcomes the dephasing caused by a spread of transition frequencies in multi-qubit systems and leads to the formation of a decoupled dark state., Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2105.14674

Many molecular, quantum-dot, and optomechanical nanocavity-QED systems demonstrate strong nonlinear interactions between electrons, photons, and phonon (vibrational) modes. We show that such systems can be described by a universal model in the vicinity of the nonlinear parametric resonance involving all three degrees of freedom. We solve the nonperturbative quantum dynamics in the strong coupling regime of the nonlinear resonance, taking into account quantization, dissipation, and fluctuations of all fields. We find analytic solutions for quantum states in the rotating wave approximation which demonstrate tripartite quantum entanglement once the strong coupling regime is reached. We show how the strong coupling at the nonlinear resonance modifies photon emission and vibrational spectra, and how the observed spectra can be used to extract information about relaxation rates and the nonlinear coupling strength in specific systems., Comment: 40 pages, 6 figures

We propose and design a high-brightness, ultra-compact electrically pumped GaSb-based laser source of entangled photons generated by mode-matched intracavity parametric down-conversion of lasing modes. To describe the nonlinear mixing in highly dispersive and dissipative waveguides, we develop a nonperturbative quantum theory of parametric down-conversion of waveguide modes which takes into account the effects of modal dispersion, group and phase mismatch, propagation, dissipation, and coupling to noisy reservoirs. We extend our theory to the regime of quantized pump fields with a new approach based on the propagation equation for the state vector which solves the nonperturbative boundary-value problem of the parametric decay of a quantized single-photon pump mode and can be generalized to include the effects of dissipation and noise. Our formalism is applicable to a wide variety of three-wave mixing propagation problems. It provides convenient analytic expressions for interpreting experimental results and predicting the performance of monolithic quantum photonic systems., Comment: 50 pages, 5 figures

We study quantum dynamics of many-qubit systems strongly coupled to a quantized electromagnetic cavity mode, in the presence of decoherence and dissipation for both fermions and cavity photons. The analytic solutions are derived for a broad class of open quantum systems in Lindblad approximation. They include identical qubits, an ensemble of qubits with a broad distribution of transition frequencies, and multi-level electron systems. Compact analytic solutions for time-dependent quantum state amplitudes and observables become possible with the use of the stochastic equation of evolution for the state vector. We show that depending on the initial quantum state preparation, the systems can evolve into a rich variety of entangled states with destructive or constructive interference between the qubits. In particular, dissipation in a cavity can drive the system into the dark states completely decoupled from the cavity modes. We also find the regimes in which multi-electron systems with a broad distribution of transition frequencies couple to the quantized cavity field as a giant collective dipole., Comment: 46 pages, 6 figures

Harmonic comb state has proven to be emerging in quantum cascade lasers and promoted by an interplay between parametric gain and spatial hole burning. We report here on robust, pure, self-starting harmonic mode locking in Copper-based double-metal THz quantum cascade lasers. Different harmonic orders can be excited in the same laser cavity depending on the pumping condition and stable harmonic combs spanning more than 600 GHz bandwidth at 80 K are reported. Such devices can be RF injected and the free running coherence is assessed by means of self-mixing technique performed at 50 GHz. A theoretical model based on Maxwell-Bloch equations including an asymmetry in the gain profile is used to interpret the data., Comment: Submitted to APL, 6 pages, 5 figures

We study the dynamics of strongly coupled nanophotonic systems with time-variable parameters. The approximate analytic solutions are obtained for a broad class of open quantum systems including a two-level fermion emitter strongly coupled to a multimode quantized electromagnetic field in a cavity with time-varying cavity resonances or the electron transition energy. The coupling of the fermion and photon subsystems to their dissipative reservoirs is included within the stochastic equation of evolution approach, which is equivalent to the Lindblad approximation in the master equation formalism. The analytic solutions for the quantum states and the observables are obtained under the approximation that the rate of parameter modulation and the amplitude of the frequency modulation are much smaller than the optical transition frequencies. At the same time, they can be arbitrary with respect to the generalized Rabi oscillations frequency which determines the coherent dynamics. Therefore, our analytic theory can be applied to an arbitrary modulation of the parameters, both slower and faster than the Rabi frequency, for complete control of the quantum state. In particular, we demonstrate protocols for switching on and off the entanglement between the fermionic and photonic degrees of freedom, swapping between the quantum states, and the decoupling of the fermionic qubit from the cavity field due to modulation-induced transparency., Comment: 44 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2007.02159

Popular models of the phenomenological relaxation operators that are widely used in the master equation formalism for open condensed-matter systems have significant flaws ranging from limited applicability to violation of fundamental physical principles. We propose a relatively simple universal model of the relaxation operator which is free from these flaws, has a correct static limit, correct direct-current limit in a uniform electric field, includes both interband and intraband transitions, and is valid for an arbitrary dispersion of quasiparticles in a solid. We use the proposed operator to generalize the Lindhard formula and derive explicit expressions for the relaxation operator for Dirac materials with an unconventional energy spectrum of quasiparticles, such as graphene and Weyl semimetals. We compare the linear susceptibility spectra for graphene obtained with different relaxation models and show that the proposed relaxation operator leads to physically meaningful behavior of the susceptibility at low frequencies whereas the existing models become completely invalid., Comment: 37 pages, 3 figures

We develop the analytic theory describing the formation and evolution of entangled quantum states for a fermionic quantum emitter coupled to a quantized electromagnetic field in a nanocavity and quantized phonon or mechanical vibrational modes. The theory is applicable to a broad range of cavity quantum optomechanics problems and emerging research on plasmonic nanocavities coupled to single molecules and other quantum emitters. The optimal conditions for a tri-state entanglement are realized near the parametric resonances in a coupled system. The model includes decoherence effects due to coupling of the fermion, photon, and phonon subsystems to their dissipative reservoirs within the stochastic evolution approach, which is derived from the Heisenberg-Langevin formalism. Our theory provides analytic expressions for the time evolution of the quantum state and observables, and the emission spectra. The limit of a classical acoustic pumping and the interplay between parametric and standard one-photon resonances are analyzed.

Harmonic frequency combs, in which the lasing modes are separated by a period of tens of free spectral ranges from each other, have been recently discovered in quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). There is an ongoing debate how the harmonic combs can be formed and stable under continuous pumping. Here we reproduce the harmonic state of lasing in QCLs by space-time-domain numerical simulations and show that the corresponding optical wave has a frequency-modulated (FM) nature, with the fundamental beat note in the electron population being suppressed. To understand the physics behind the formation and stability of the harmonic state, we develop a frequency-domain linearized analytic theory which analyzes the stability of single mode lasing with respect to the harmonic state formation and the instabilities of the resulting harmonic state. Our analysis shows how the instability of a single lasing mode can result in the growth of harmonic side modes. The coupling between the two side modes leads to opposite gains for FM and amplitude-modulated (AM) waves, and the FM gain is enhanced as compared to the AM gain. The dependence of the sideband gain spectrum on group velocity dispersion is also studied. While the instability gain of a single lasing mode does not prove that the harmonic state can be self-starting, we analyze the sideband instability gain in the presence of three strong harmonic modes and demonstrate that the harmonic state can be stable and self-supported., Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) have unusual optical response originated from unique topological properties of their bulk and surface electron states. Their third-order optical nonlinearity is expected to be very strong, especially at long wavelengths, due to linear dispersion and high Fermi velocity of three-dimensional Weyl fermions. Here we derive the third-order nonlinear optical conductivity of WSMs in the long-wavelength limit and calculate the intensity of the nonlinear four-wave mixing signal as it is transmitted through the WSM film or propagates away from the surface of the material in the reflection geometry. All results are analytic and show the scaling of the signal intensity with variation of all relevant parameters. The nonlinear generation efficiency turns out to be surprisingly high for a lossy material, of the order of several mW per W$^3$ of the incident pump power. Optimal conditions for maximizing the nonlinear signal are realized in the vicinity of bulk plasma resonance. This indicates that ultrathin WSM films of the order of skin depth in thickness could find applications in compact optoelectronic devices., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures

We report systematic theoretical studies of the inverse Faraday effect in materials with massless Dirac fermions, both in two dimensions such as graphene and surface states in topological insulators, and in three dimensions such as Dirac and Weyl semimetals. Both semiclassical and quantum theories are presented, with dissipation and finite size effects included. We find that the magnitude of the effect can be much stronger in Dirac materials as compared to conventional semiconductors. Analytic expressions for the optically induced magnetization in the low temperature limit are obtained. Strong inverse Faraday effect in Dirac materials can be used for the optical control of magnetization, all-optical modulation, and optical isolation., Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures

Weyl semimetals possess unique electrodynamic properties due to a combination of strongly anisotropic and gyrotropic bulk conductivity, surface conductivity, and surface dipole layer. We explore the potential of popular tip-enhanced optical spectroscopy techniques for studies of bulk and surface topological electron states in these materials. Anomalous dispersion, extreme anisotropy, and the optical Hall effect for surface polaritons launched by a nanotip provides information about Weyl node position and separation in the Brillouin zone, the value of the Fermi momentum, and the matrix elements of the optical transitions involving both bulk and surface electron states.

Semiconductor ring lasers are miniaturized devices that operate on clockwise and counterclockwise modes. These modes are not coupled in the absence of intracavity reflectors, which prevents the formation of a standing wave in the cavity and, consequently, of a population inversion grating. This should inhibit the onset of multimode emission driven by spatial hole burning. Here we show that, despite this notion, ring quantum cascade lasers inherently operate in phase-locked multimode states, that switch on and off as the pumping level is progressively increased. By rewriting the master equation of lasers with fast gain media in the form of the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation, we show that ring frequency combs stem from a phase instability---a phenomenon also known in superconductors and Bose-Einstein condensates. The instability is due to coupling of the amplitude and phase modulation of the optical field in a semiconductor laser, which plays the role of a Kerr nonlinearity, highlighting a connection between laser and microresonator frequency combs.

Despite successful modeling of graphene as a 0.34-nm thick optical film synthesized by exfoliation or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), graphene induced shift of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of gold films has remained controversial. Here we report the resolution of this controversy by developing a clean CVD graphene transfer method and extending Maxwell-Garnet effective medium theory (EMT) to 2D materials. A SPR shift of 0.24 is obtained and it agrees well with 2D EMT in which wrinkled graphene is treated as a 3-nm graphene/air layered composite, in agreement with the average roughness measured by atomic force microscope. Because the anisotropic built-in boundary condition of 2D EMT is compatible with graphene's optical anisotropy, graphene can be modelled as a film thicker than 0.34-nm without changing its optical property; however, its actual roughness, i.e., effective thickness will significantly alter its response to strong out-of-plane fields, leading to a larger SPR shift., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures

Since the days of Hertz, radio transmitters have evolved from rudimentary circuits emitting around 50 MHz to modern ubiquitous Wi-Fi devices operating at gigahertz radio bands. As wireless data traffic continues to increase there is a need for new communication technologies capable of high-frequency operation for high-speed data transfer. Here we give a proof of concept of a new compact radio frequency transmitter based on a semiconductor laser frequency comb. In this laser, the beating among the coherent modes oscillating inside the cavity generates a radio frequency current, which couples to the electrodes of the device. We show that redesigning the top contact of the laser allows one to exploit the internal oscillatory current to drive an integrated dipole antenna, which radiates into free space. In addition, direct modulation of the laser current permits encoding a signal in the radiated radio frequency carrier. Working in the opposite direction, the antenna can receive an external radio frequency signal, couple it to the active region and injection lock the laser. These results pave the way to new applications and functionality in optical frequency combs, such as wireless radio communication and wireless synchronization to a reference source.

We observe enhanced second-harmonic generation in monolayer graphene in the presence of an ultra-strong terahertz field pulse with a peak amplitude of 250 kV/cm. This is a strongly nonperturbative regime of light-matter interaction in which particles get accelerated to energies exceeding the initial Fermi energy of 0.2 eV over a timescale of a few femtoseconds. The second-harmonic current is generated as electrons drift through the region of momenta corresponding to interband transition resonance at an optical frequency. The resulting strongly asymmetric distortion of carrier distribution in momentum space gives rise to an enhanced electric-dipole nonlinear response at the second harmonic. We develop an approximate analytic theory of this effect which accurately predicts observed intensity and polarization of the second-harmonic signal.

We present systematic theoretical studies of both bulk and surface electromagnetic eigenmodes, or polaritons, in Weyl semimetals. We derive the tensors of bulk and surface conductivity taking into account all possible combinations of the optical transitions involving bulk and surface electron states. We show how information about electronic structure of Weyl semimetals, such as position and separation of Weyl nodes, Fermi energy, and Fermi arc surface states, can be unambiguously extracted from measurements of the dispersion, transmission, reflection, and polarization of electromagnetic waves.

We develop a rigorous quantum-mechanical theory of the nonlinear optical process of difference frequency generation of surface plasmon-polaritons in Landau-quantized graphene. Although forbidden in the electric-dipole approximation, the second-order susceptibility is surprisingly high, equivalent to the bulk magnitude above $10^{-3}$ m/V. We consider the graphene monolayer as a nonlinear optical component of a monolithic photonic chip with integrated pump fields. The nonlinear power conversion efficiency of the order of tens $\mu$W/W$^2$ is predicted from structures of $10-100$ $\mu$m size. We investigate a variety of waveguide configurations to identify the optimal geometry for maximum efficiency.

Ultracompact nonlinear optical devices utilizing two-dimensional (2D) materials and nanostructures are emerging as important elements of photonic circuits. Integration of the nonlinear material into a subwavelength cavity or waveguide leads to a strong Purcell enhancement of the nonlinear processes and compensates for a small interaction volume. The generic feature of such devices which makes them especially challenging for analysis is strong dissipation of both the nonlinear polarization and highly confined modes of a subwavelength cavity. Here we solve a quantum-electrodynamic problem of the spontaneous and stimulated parametric down-conversion in a nonlinear quasi-2D waveguide or cavity. We develop a rigorous Heisenberg-Langevin approach which includes dissipation and fluctuations in the electron ensemble and in the electromagnetic field of a cavity on equal footing. Within a relatively simple model, we take into account the nonlinear coupling of the quantized cavity modes, their interaction with a dissipative reservoir and the outside world, amplification of thermal noise and zero-point fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, and other relevant effects. We derive closed-form analytic results for relevant quantities such as the spontaneous parametric signal power and the threshold for parametric instability. We find a strong reduction in the parametric instability threshold for 2D nonlinear materials in a subwavelength cavity and provide a comparison with conventional nonlinear photonic devices.

We consider a quantum-electrodynamic problem of the spontaneous emission from a two-dimensional (2D) emitter, such as a quantum well or a 2D semiconductor, placed in a quasi-2D waveguide or cavity with subwavelength confinement in one direction. We apply the Heisenberg-Langevin approach which includes dissipation and fluctuations in the electron ensemble and in the electromagnetic field of a cavity on equal footing. The Langevin noise operators that we introduce do not depend on any particular model of dissipative reservoir and can be applied to any dissipation mechanism. Moreover, our approach is applicable to nonequilibrium electron systems, e.g. in the presence of pumping, beyond the applicability of the standard fluctuation-dissipation theorem. We derive analytic results for simple but practically important geometries: strip lines and rectangular cavities. Our results show that a significant enhancement of the spontaneous emission, by a factor of order 100 or higher, is possible for quantum wells and other 2D emitters in a subwavelength cavity., Comment: 22 pages including Appendix and 2 figures

Achieving efficient nonlinear optical frequency conversion in small volumes is key for future on-chip photonic devices that would provide a higher-speed alternative to modern electronics. However, the already intrinsically low conversion efficiency severely limits miniaturization to nanoscale dimensions. Here we demonstrate that gradient-field effects can provide for an efficient, conventionally dipole-forbidden nonlinear response, offering a new approach for enhanced nonlinear optics in nanostructures. We show that a {\em longitudinal} nonlinear source current can dominate the third-order optical nonlinearity of the free electron response in gold in the technologically important near-IR frequency range where the nonlinearities due to other mechanisms are particularly small. Using adiabatic nanofocusing to spatially confine the excitation fields, from measurements of the $2\omega_1 - \omega_2$ four-wave mixing response as a function of detuning $\omega_1 - \omega_2$, we find up to $10^{-5}$ conversion efficiency with a gradient field contribution to $\chi^{(3)}_{\mathrm{Au}}$ of up to $10^{-19}~\mathrm{m}^2 / \mathrm{V}^2$. The results are in good agreement with theory based on plasma hydrodynamics. Our results demonstrate an increase in nonlinear conversion efficiency with decreasing sample size that can offset and even overcompensate the volume decrease of conventional dipolar pathways. This will enable more efficient nonlinear optical devices and frequency converters and facilitate the extension of coherent multidimensional spectroscopies to the nanoscale., Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures

Free-running Fabry-Perot lasers normally operate in a single-mode regime until the pumping current is increased beyond the single-mode instability threshold, above which they evolve into a multimode state. As a result of this instability, the single-mode operation of these lasers is typically constrained to few percents of their output power range, this being an undesired limitation in spectroscopy applications. In order to expand the span of single-mode operation, we use an optical injection seed generated by an external-cavity single-mode laser source to force the Fabry-Perot quantum cascade laser into a single-mode state in the high current range, where it would otherwise operate in a multimode regime. Utilizing this approach we achieve single-mode emission at room temperature with a tuning range of $36 \, \mathrm{cm}^-1$ and stable continuous-wave output power exceeding 1 W. Far-field measurements show that a single transverse mode is emitted up to the highest optical power indicating that the beam properties of the seeded Fabry-Perot laser remain unchanged as compared to free-running operation., Comment: 4 figures, 10 pages

We report the observation of a clear single-mode instability threshold in continuous-wave Fabry-Perot quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). The instability is characterized by the appearance of sidebands separated by tens of free spectral ranges (FSR) from the first lasing mode, at a pump current not much higher than the lasing threshold. As the current is increased, higher-order sidebands appear that preserve the initial spacing, and the spectra are suggestive of harmonically phase-locked waveforms. We present a theory of the instability that applies to all homogeneously broadened standing-wave lasers. The low instability threshold and the large sideband spacing can be explained by the combination of an unclamped, incoherent Lorentzian gain due to the population grating, and a coherent parametric gain caused by temporal population pulsations that changes the spectral gain line shape. The parametric term suppresses the gain of sidebands whose separation is much smaller than the reciprocal gain recovery time, while enhancing the gain of more distant sidebands. The large gain recovery frequency of the QCL compared to the FSR is essential to observe this parametric effect, which is responsible for the multiple-FSR sideband separation. We predict that by tuning the strength of the incoherent gain contribution, for example by engineering the modal overlap factors and the carrier diffusion, both amplitude-modulated (AM) or frequency-modulated emission can be achieved from QCLs. We provide initial evidence of an AM waveform emitted by a QCL with highly asymmetric facet reflectivities, thereby opening a promising route to ultrashort pulse generation in the mid-infrared. Together, the experiments and theory clarify a deep connection between parametric oscillation in optically pumped microresonators and the single-mode instability of lasers, tying together literature from the last 60 years., Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures

Optical frequency combs establish a rigid phase-coherent link between microwave and optical domains and are emerging as high-precision tools in an increasing number of applications. Frequency combs with large intermodal spacing are employed in the field of microwave photonics for radiofrequency arbitrary waveform synthesis and for generation of THz tones of high spectral purity in the future wireless communication networks. We demonstrate for the first time self-starting harmonic frequency comb generation with a THz repetition rate in a quantum cascade laser. The large intermodal spacing caused by the suppression of tens of adjacent cavity modes originates from a parametric contribution to the gain due to temporal modulations of the population inversion in the laser. The mode spacing of the harmonic comb is shown to be uniform to within $5\times 10^{-12}$ parts of the central frequency using multiheterodyne self-detection. This new harmonic comb state extends the range of applications of quantum cascade laser frequency combs.

Exotic topological and transport properties of Weyl semimetals generated a lot of excitement in the condensed matter community. Here we show that Weyl semimetals in a strong magnetic field are highly unusual optical materials. The propagation of electromagnetic waves is affected by an interplay between plasmonic response of chiral Weyl fermions and extreme anisotropy induced by a magnetic field. The resulting magneto-polaritons possess a number of peculiar properties, such as hyperbolic dispersion, photonic stop bands, coupling-induced transparency, and broadband polarization conversion. These effects can be used for optical spectroscopy of these materials including detection of the chiral anomaly, or for broadband terahertz/infrared applications., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures

Light-matter interaction in two-dimension photonic materials allows for confinement and control of free-space radiation on sub-wavelength scales. Most notably, the van der Waals heterostructure obtained by stacking graphene (G) and hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) can provide for hybrid hyperbolic plasmon phonon-polaritons (HP3). Here, we present a polariton diode effect and low-bias control of HP3 modes confined in G-hBN. Using broadband infrared synchrotron radiation coupled to a scattering-type near-field optical microscope, we launch HP3 waves over both hBN Reststrahlen bands and observe the unidirectional propagation of HP3 modes at in-plane heterointerfaces associated with the transition between different substrate dielectrics. By electric gating we further control the HP3 hybridization modifying the coupling between the continuum graphene plasmons and the discrete hyperbolic phonon polaritons of hBN as described by an extended Fano model. This is the first demonstration of unidirectional control of polariton propagation, with break in reflection/transmission symmetry for HP3 modes. G-hBN and related hyperbolic metamaterial nanostructures can therefore provide the basis for novel logic devices of on-chip nano-optics communication and computing.

Although massless Dirac fermions in graphene constitute a centrosymmetric medium for in-plane excitations, their second-order nonlinear optical response is nonzero if the effects of spatial dispersion are taken into account. Here we present a rigorous quantum-mechanical theory of the second-order nonlinear response of graphene beyond the electric dipole approximation, which includes both intraband and interband transitions. The resulting nonlinear susceptibility tensor satisfies all symmetry and permutation properties, and can be applied to all three-wave mixing processes. We obtain useful analytic expressions in the limit of a degenerate electron distribution, which reveal quite strong second-order nonlinearity at long wavelengths, Fermi-edge resonances, and unusual polarization properties., Comment: The new version makes the bold font vector notation uniform throughout the paper and corrects a misprint in Eq. (34): replaces v_F^2 with v_F^3 in the common factor

We have performed time-resolved terahertz absorption measurements on photoexcited electron-hole pairs in undoped GaAs quantum wells in magnetic fields. We probed both unbound- and bound-carrier responses via cyclotron resonance and intraexciton resonance, respectively. The stability of excitons, monitored as the pair density was systematically increased, was found to dramatically increase with increasing magnetic field. Specifically, the 1$s$-2$p_-$ intraexciton transition at 9 T persisted up to the highest density, whereas the 1$s$-2$p$ feature at 0 T was quickly replaced by a free-carrier Drude response. Interestingly, at 9 T, the 1$s$-2$p_-$ peak was replaced by free-hole cyclotron resonance at high temperatures, indicating that 2D magnetoexcitons do dissociate under thermal excitation, even though they are stable against a density-driven Mott transition., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Recent advances in optical studies of condensed matter have led to the emergence of phenomena that have conventionally been studied in the realm of quantum optics. These studies have not only deepened our understanding of light-matter interactions but also introduced aspects of many-body correlations inherent in optical processes in condensed matter systems. This article is concerned with superradiance (SR), a profound quantum optical process predicted by Dicke in 1954. The basic concept of SR applies to a general $N$-body system where constituent oscillating dipoles couple together through interaction with a common light field and accelerate the radiative decay of the system. In the most fascinating manifestation of SR, known as superfluorescence (SF), an incoherently prepared system of $N$ inverted atoms spontaneously develops macroscopic coherence from vacuum fluctuations and produces a delayed pulse of coherent light whose peak intensity $\propto N^2$. Such SF pulses have been observed in atomic and molecular gases, and their intriguing quantum nature has been unambiguously demonstrated. Here, we focus on the rapidly developing field of research on SR in solids, where not only photon-mediated coupling but also strong Coulomb interactions and ultrafast scattering exist. We describe SR and SF in molecular centers in solids, molecular aggregates and crystals, quantum dots, and quantum wells. In particular, we will summarize a series of studies we have recently performed on quantum wells in strong magnetic fields. These studies show that cooperative effects in solid-state systems are not merely small corrections that require exotic conditions to be observed; rather, they can dominate the nonequilibrium dynamics and light emission processes of the entire system of interacting electrons., Comment: 23 pages, 26 figures

We show that a strong infrared laser beam obliquely incident on graphene can experience a parametric instability with respect to decay into lower-frequency (idler) photons and THz surface plasmons. The instability is due to a strong in-plane second-order nonlinear response of graphene which originates from its spatial dispersion. The parametric decay leads to efficient generation of THz plasmons and gives rise to quantum entanglement of idler photons and surface plasmon states. A similar process can be supported by surface states of topological insulators such as Bi$_2$Se$_3$., Comment: The submission contains the paper and three figures

We show that excitons and free carriers in K and K' valleys of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers can be entangled with respect to their valley degree of freedom by absorbing linearly polarized single photons. This effect does not require any interaction between K and K' excitons in contrast to conventional mechanisms of entanglement that are mediated by coupling between quantum systems (e.g.~entanglement of photons in nonlinear optical interactions). The valley entanglement of excitons and free carriers can be verified by measuring the polarization of their photoluminescence or fluctuations of the photocurrent under an applied in-plane DC bias., Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures

We predict the general feasibility and demonstrate the specific design of the THz laser operating between Landau levels in graphene placed on a polar substrate in a magnetic field of order 1 T. Steady state operation under a continuous wave optical pumping is possible due to an interplay between Auger and surface-phonon mediated relaxation of carriers. The scheme is scalable to other materials with massless Dirac fermions, for example surface states in 3D topological insulators such as Bi$_2$Se$_3$ or Bi$_2$Te$_3$., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures

We show that a thin film of a three-dimensional topological insulator such as Bi$_2$Se$_3$ or Bi$_2$Te$_3$ can exhibit strong linear and nonlinear magneto-optical effects in a transverse magnetic field. In particular, one can achieve an almost complete circular polarization of an incident terahertz or mid-infrared radiation and an efficient four-wave mixing., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

We report on the observation of collective radiative decay, or superradiance, of cyclotron resonance (CR) in high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases in GaAs quantum wells using time-domain terahertz magnetospectroscopy. The decay rate of coherent CR oscillations increases linearly with the electron density in a wide range, which is a hallmark of superradiant damping. Our fully quantum mechanical theory provides a universal formula for the decay rate, which reproduces our experimental data without any adjustable parameter. These results firmly establish the many-body nature of CR decoherence in this system, despite the fact that the CR frequency is immune to electron-electron interactions due to Kohn's theorem., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Surface plasmons in graphene may provide an attractive alternative to noble-metal plasmons due to their tighter confinement, peculiar dispersion, and longer propagation distance. We present theoretical studies of the nonlinear difference frequency generation of terahertz surface plasmon modes supported by two-dimensional layers of massless Dirac electrons, which includes graphene and surface states in topological insulators. Our results demonstrate strong enhancement of the DFG efficiency near the plasmon resonance and the feasibility of phase-matched nonlinear generation of plasmons over a broad range of frequencies., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures