Quantum light signatures and nanosecond spectral diffusion from cavity-embedded carbon nanotubes

William Walden-Newman, Ibrahim Sarpkaya, Stefan Strauf

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

69 Scopus citations

Abstract

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are considered for novel optoelectronic and quantum photonic devices, such as single photon sources, but methods must be developed to enhance the light extraction and spectral purity, while simultaneously preventing multiphoton emission as well as spectral diffusion and blinking in dielectric environments of a cavity. Here we demonstrate that utilization of nonpolar polystyrene as a cavity dielectric completely removes spectral diffusion and blinking in individual SWCNTs on the millisecond to multisecond time scale, despite the presence of surfactants. With these cavity-embedded SWCNT samples, providing a 50-fold enhanced exciton emission into the far field, we have been able to carry out photophysical studies for the first time with nanosecond timing resolution. We uncovered that fast spectral diffusion processes (1-3 ns) remain that make significant contributions to the spectral purity, thereby limiting the use of SWCNTs in quantum optical applications requiring indistinguishable photons. Measured quantum light signatures reveal pronounced photon antibunching (g 2(0) = 0.15) accompanied by side-peak bunching signatures indicative of residual blinking on the submicrosecond time scale. The demonstrated enhanced single photon emission from cavity-embedded SWCNTs is promising for applications in quantum key distribution, while the demonstrated passivation effect of polystyrene with respect to the stability of the optical emission opens a novel pathway toward optoelectronic devices with enhanced performance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1934-1941
Number of pages8
JournalNano Letters
Volume12
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 Apr 2012

Keywords

  • Single-walled carbon nanotubes
  • blinking
  • cavity
  • photon antibunching
  • polystyrene
  • single photon source
  • spectral diffusion

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