Single Photon Source for Quantum Information Based on Single Dye Molecule Fluorescence in Liquid Crystal Host

Svetlana G. Lukishova, Russell P. Knox, Patrick Freivald, Andrew McNamara,
Robert W. Boyd, C. R. Stroud, Jr., Angsar W. Schmid, Kenneth L. Marshall

Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 454, 403 (2006).

This paper describes a new application for liquid crystals: quantum information technology. A deterministically polarized single-photon source that efficiently produces photons exhibiting antibunching is a pivotal hardware element in absolutely secure quantum communication. Planar-aligned nematic liquid crystal hosts deterministically align the single dye molecules which produce deterministically polarized single (antibunched) photons. In addition, 1-D photonic bandgap cholesteric liquid crystals will increase single-photon source efficiency. The experiments and challenges in the observation of deterministically polarized fluorescence from single dye molecules in planar-aligned glassy nematic-liquid-crystal oligomer as well as photon antibunching in glassy cholesteric oligomer are described for the first time.

Click here to download the .pdf version of the paper lukishova061.pdf (629 KB)

Previous Abstract

Publications List

Next Abstract

Web page maintained by
Hideomi Nihira ( nihira@optics.rochester.edu ).
Last modified 13 September 2006