Researchers achieve 1.6 nm V⁻¹ nonlinearity in quantum-well structure

Researchers have achieved a nonlinear tensor element of 1.6 nm V⁻¹ at 1.57 μm wavelength within a specifically engineered quantum-well structure, addressing a core limitation of current nonlinear optical devices. The team, led by Pernille Undrum Fathi, combined a GaAs/AlGaAs multi-quantum-well heterostructure with a dielectric metasurface to realize this effect, targeting applications in telecommunications and quantum computing. By integrating these components, they boosted the effective nonlinearity to approximately 14 nm V⁻¹, establishing a scalable route to compact, efficient devices. A nonlinear tensor element of 1.6 nm V⁻¹ at 1.57 μm is particularly relevant for applications in telecommunications and quantum computing, where efficient light manipulation…