Unveiling the Enhancement of Spontaneous Emission at Exceptional Points

Abstract

Exceptional points (EPs), singularities of non-Hermitian physics where complex spectral resonances degenerate, are one of the most exotic features of nonequilibrium open systems with unique properties. For instance, the emission rate of quantum emitters placed near resonators with EPs is enhanced (compared to the free-space emission rate) by a factor that scales quadratically with the resonance quality factor. Here, we verify the theory of spontaneous emission at EPs by measuring photoluminescence from photonic-crystal slabs that are embedded with a high-quantum-yield active material. While our experimental results verify the theoretically predicted enhancement, it also highlights the practical limitations on the enhancement due to material loss. Our designed structures can be used in applications that require enhanced and controlled emission, such as quantum sensing and imaging.

References in corpus (3)

• Loss-induced suppression and revival of lasing
• Reversing the Pump-Dependence of a Laser at an Exceptional Point
• Polariton Bose-Einstein condensate from a Bound State in the Continuum

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Room-temperature exceptional-point-driven polariton lasing from perovskite metasurface
• Classical Purcell factors and spontaneous emission decay rates in a linear gain medium
• Dressed bound states at chiral exceptional points
• Liouvillian exceptional points of an open driven two-level system
• Spontaneous emission decay and excitation in photonic time crystals
• Complex energy structures of exceptional point pairs in two level systems
• Anomalous Spontaneous Emission Enhancement by Non-Hermitian Momentum-Space Bound States in the Continuum