Ultra-bright single photon source based on an atomically thin material

Abstract

Solid-state single photon sources are central building blocks in quantum communication networks and on-chip quantum information processing. Atomically thin crystals were established as possible candidates to emit non-classical states of light, however, the performance of monolayer-based single photon sources has so far been lacking behind state-of-the-art devices based on volume crystals. Here, we implement a single photon source based on an atomically thin sheet of WSe2 coupled to a spectrally tunable optical cavity. It is characterized by a high single photon purity with a $g^{(2)}(0)$ value as low as $4.7\pm 0.7\%$ and a record-high first lens brightness of linearly polarized photons as large as $65\pm 4\%$. Interestingly, the high performance of our devices allows us to observe genuine quantum interference phenomena in a Hong-Ou-Mandel experiment. Our results demonstrate that open cavities and two-dimensional materials constitute an excellent platform for ultra-bright quantum light sources: the unique properties of such two-dimensional materials and the versatility of open cavities open an inspiring avenue for novel quantum optoelectronic devices.

12 pages, 7 figures

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• Non-Hermitian polariton-photon coupling in a perovskite open microcavity
• Photonics in Flatland: Challenges and Opportunities for Nanophotonics with 2D Semiconductors
• High-purity and stable single-photon emission in bilayer WSe${}_2$ via phonon-assisted excitation
• Quantum Defects in 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for Terahertz Technologies