Making two-photon processes dominate one-photon processes using mid-IR phonon polaritons
Abstract
The recent discovery of nanoscale-confined phonon polaritons in polar dielectric materials has generated vigorous interest because it provides a path to low-loss nanoscale photonics at technologically important mid-IR and terahertz frequencies. In this work, we show that these polar dielectrics can be used to develop a bright and efficient spontaneous emitter of photon pairs. The two-photon emission can completely dominate the total emission for realistic electronic systems, even when competing single-photon emission channels exist. We believe this work acts as a starting point for the development of sources of entangled nano-confined photons at frequency ranges where photon sources are generally considered lacking. Additionally, we believe that these results add a dimension to the great promise of phonon polaritonics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 12, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1713538114
Entities
People
- Gilles Rosolen
- Ido Kaminer
- John D. Joannopoulos
- Marin Soljačić
- Nicholas Rivera
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
- United States Department of Energy
- University of Mons