Cryogenic Thermophotonics

LEDs are widely recognized as modern and efficient light sources. However, their potential applications extend far beyond illumination. Technically, an LED is a thermodynamic machine capable of converting energy from one form to another, such as heat into light. The phenomenon of cooling an LED while it emits light, known as electroluminescent cooling (ELC), has been understood for decades, but practical observations have only been made recently. Due to this progress, interest in ELC is growing, though current research mainly focuses on temperatures around room temperature (RT) or higher. cryOPTO aims to explore the limits of ELC at cryogenic temperatures and to provide insights into thermophotonic phenomena at very low temperatures. Success in this project will pave the way for developing new all-solid-state cooling and communication technologies for quantum applications.