Room temperature single-photon Source:Single-dye molecule fluorescence in Liquid Crystal host

• Published in: IEEE journal of selected topics in quantum electronics Vol. 9; no. 6; pp. 1512 - 1518
• Main Authors: Lukishova, S.G., Schmid, A.W., McNamara, A.J., Boyd, R.W., Stroud, C.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.11.2003; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Dyes; Excitation; Fluorescence; Hardware; Liquid crystal polymers; Liquid crystals; Microcavities; Optical attenuators; Optical computing; Photonic crystals; Polarization; Quantum computing; Spark plasma sintering; Temperature; Tuning
• ISSN: 1077-260X; 1558-4542
• DOI: 10.1109/JSTQE.2003.820944

We report on new approaches toward an implementation of an efficient, room temperature, deterministically polarized, single-photon source (SPS) on demand-a key hardware element for quantum information and quantum communication. Operation of a room temperature SPS is demonstrated via photon antibunching in the fluorescence from single terrylene-dye molecules embedded in a cholesteric liquid crystal host. Using oxygen-depleted liquid crystal hosts, dye-bleaching was avoided over the course of more than 1 h of continuous 532-nm excitation. Liquid crystal hosts (including liquid crystal oligomers/polymers) permit further increase of the efficiency of the source: 1) by aligning the dye molecules along a direction preferable for maximum excitation efficiency; 2) by tuning a one-dimensional (1-D) photonic-band-gap microcavity of planar-aligned cholesteric (chiral nematic) liquid crystal layer to the dye fluorescence band.