Quantum Simulating the Electron Transport in Quantum Cascade Laser Structures. Issue 10 (9th September 2021) - Trombettoni, Andrea
Abstract: Ultracold fermionic atoms are proposed to be used in 1D optical lattices to quantum simulate the electronic transport in quantum cascade laser (QCL) structures. The competition between the coherent tunneling among (and within) the wells and the dissipative decay at the basis of lasing is discussed. In order to validate the proposed simulation scheme, such competition is quantitatively addressed in a simplified 1D model. The existence of optimal relationships between the model parameters is shown, maximizing the particle current, the population inversion (or their product), and the stimulated emission rate. This substantiates the concept of emulating the QCL operation mechanisms in cold‐atom optical lattice simulators, laying the groundwork for addressing open questions, such as the impact of electron–electron scattering and the origin of transport‐induced noise, in the design of new‐generation QCLs. Abstract : Made by stacking tailored quantum wells, quantum cascade lasers are presently designed using mostly classical numerical tools. Nowadays, cold atom experiments provide a platform for full quantum simulation of key aspects, such as the electronic transport. A toy model is developed to guide the experimental implementation of a specific cold‐atom simulator. This approach can be extended to many more devices.