Therese Karmstrand, Applied Quantum Physics Laboratory

Abstract:

The development of quantum mechanics has drastically changed the perspective on how we perceive the world. This has created a world that is now racing for the next new quantum technology. Accompanying this racing is an explosion of technological advancements that have facilitated experimental studies of light and matter interactions with unprecedented control down to the nanoscale. Improved experimental control and resolution, as well as the demonstration of strong light-matter interactions in new platforms, open the possibility of discovering unconventional phenomena that previously have been overlooked. 
This thesis explores light and matter phenomena with identical emitters of light and light confined in a cavity. The work is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the correlations that can arise between two-level emitters and a cavity field, and the complex behaviors arising from the competition between coherent driving, collective coupling, and dissipation. The second part revolves around the intriguing properties of polaritons formed due to the interaction between a microcavity and the collective bright mode in an array of harmonic nanoresonators, sustaining surface plasmon modes.
The effects of dissipation are an important recurring theme.