CONTROLLING LIGHT AND MATTER WITH QUANTUM OPTICS IN INFRARED CAVITIES
Abstract
Recent experiments on non-perturbative light-matter coupling with molecular materials in strongly confined electromagnetic vacuum fields, have shown that routes for the modification of both material and photonic properties are possible at room temperature over a broad range of frequencies spanning the UV-visible to the mid-infrared. Despite the intense experimental and theoretical efforts for understanding the microscopic mechanisms that enable these observations, several fundamental questions remain open. In this project, we will address key problems in the field using modern phenomenological theory developed in our group, such as the Multi-Level Quantum Rabi (MLQR) model, state-of-the-art quantum dynamics techniques such as Wave-Function Monte Carlo (WFMC) and Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree (MCTDH) methods, as well as classical computational electrodynamics techniques such as the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. We will develop quantum theory and numerical techniques to simulate the quantum dynamics of vibrational degrees of freedom of molecules and materials that strongly couple with quantized electromagnetic fields in mid-infrared resonator structures. We will produce scalable results that model the evolution of spectroscopic and chemical observables of strongly coupled vibration-cavity systems, with a precision that compares with state-of-the-art infrared ultrafast multi-dimensional spectroscopy experiments. Building on this microscopic understanding, we will develop experimentally feasible quantum control schemes for manipulating light and matter degrees of freedom that enable applications in quantum sensing, quantum communication and quantum information processing. In this context, we will focus on developing theoretical schemes for controlling the electron spin coherence lifetime in molecular magnets by manipulating the vibrational environment in which spin states are embedded, via strong light-matter coupling of the vibrational spectrum using infrared cavity fields. We will derive new quantum master equations that describe the open system evolution of the molecular spin state in a cavity-engineered vibrational reservoir that includes the coherent driving of molecular vibrations with the confined vacuum field of a tailored mid-infrared resonator structure. We will compute and analyze the resulting cavity-modified spin relaxation times for selected molecular spin systems and propose feasible photonic strategies for protecting the spin coherence of molecular magnets at room temperature.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 20, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502210245
Entities
People
- Felipe Herrera
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Santiago