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At least 127 records · Page 7

Dynamics of self-hybridized exciton–polaritons in 2D halide perovskites

Abstract Excitons, bound electron–hole pairs, in two-dimensional hybrid organic inorganic perovskites (2D HOIPs) are capable of forming hybrid light-matter states known as exciton-polaritons (E–Ps) when the excitonic medium is confined in an optical cavity. In the case of 2D HOIPs, they can self-hybridize into E–Ps at specific thicknesses of the HOIP crystals that form a resonant optical cavity with the excitons. However, the fundamental properties of these self-hybridized E–Ps in 2D HOIPs, including their role in ultrafast energy and/or charge transfer at interfaces, remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that >0.5 µm thick 2D HOIP crystals on Au substrates are capable of supporting multiple-orders of self-hybridized E–P modes. These E–Ps have high Q factors (>100) and modulate the optical dispersion for the crystal to enhance sub-gap absorption and emission. Through varying excitation energy and ultrafast measurements, we also confirm energy transfer from higher energy E–Ps to lower energy E–Ps. Finally, we also demonstrate that E–Ps are capable of charge transport and transfer at interfaces. Our findings provide new insights into charge and energy transfer in E–Ps opening new opportunities towards their manipulation for polaritonic devices.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Degenerate parametric down-conversion facilitated by exciton-plasmon polariton states in a nonlinear plasmonic cavity

Abstract We study the effect of degenerate parametric down-conversion (DPDC) in an ensemble of two-level quantum emitters (QEs) coupled via near-field interactions to a single surface plasmon (SP) mode of a nonlinear plasmonic cavity. For this purpose, we develop a quantum driven-dissipative model capturing non-equilibrium dynamics of the system in which incoherently pumped QEs have transition frequency tuned near the second-harmonic response of the SPs. Considering the strong coupling regime, i.e. the SP-QE interaction rate exceeds system dissipation rates, we find a critical SP-QE coupling attributed to the phase transition between normal and lasing steady states. Examining fluctuations above the system’s steady states, we predict new elementary excitations, namely, the exciton-plasmon polaritons formed by the two-SP quanta and single-exciton states of QEs. The contribution of two-SP quanta results in the linear scaling of the SP-QE interaction rate with the number of QEs,  o , as opposed to the  o -scaling known for the Dicke and Tavis–Cummings models. We further examine how SP-QE interaction scaling affects the polariton dispersions and power spectra in the vicinity of the critical coupling. For this purpose, we compare the calculation results assuming a finite ensemble of QEs and the model thermodynamic limit. The calculated power spectra predict an interplay of coherent photon emission by QEs near the second-harmonic frequency and correlated photon-pair emission at the fundamental frequency by the SPs (i.e. the photonic DPDC effect).

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Polariton creation in coupled cavity arrays with spectrally disordered emitters

Abstract Integrated photonics has been a promising platform for analog quantum simulation of condensed matter phenomena in strongly correlated systems. To that end, we explore the implementation of all-photonic quantum simulators in coupled cavity arrays with integrated ensembles of spectrally disordered emitters. Our model is reflective of color center ensembles integrated into photonic crystal cavity arrays. Using the Quantum Master equation and the Effective Hamiltonian approaches, we study energy band formation and wavefunction properties in the open quantum Tavis–Cummings–Hubbard framework. We find conditions for polariton creation and (de)localization under experimentally relevant values of disorder in emitter frequencies, cavity resonance frequencies, and emitter-cavity coupling rates. To quantify these properties, we introduce two metrics, the polaritonic and nodal participation ratios, that characterize the light-matter hybridization and the node delocalization of the wavefunction, respectively. These new metrics combined with the Effective Hamiltonian approach prove to be a powerful toolbox for cavity quantum electrodynamical engineering of solid-state systems.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Influence of spatial dispersion on spectral tuning of phonon-polaritons

The field of nanophotonics has long sought to identify mechanisms to realize dynamical control of optical modes. In most approaches, the magnitude of tuning is dependent upon the degree to which the optical permittivity is malleable upon some material change, such as carrier concentration. Here, through a multiwavelength Raman spectroscopic examination of 4H-SiC nanopillars, momentum is identified as an alternative means to enhance spectral tunability of nanophotonic modes, owing to the spatial dispersion implicit in the infrared (IR) optical permittivity of polar semiconductors. Experimentally, this is deduced through the observation of a “forbidden” Raman mode at ≈ 780cm -1 and the emergence of the surface-optical phonon polariton at ≈ 950 cm -1 , which evolved with intensities dependent upon the nanopillar diameter and the wavelength of the incident light. The evolution of these modes is accompanied by a redshift and spectral narrowing of the longitudinal-optical plasmon coupled (LOPC) mode exhibiting a similar wavelength and diameter dependence. Mie resonances, identified using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and excited by the visible laser excitation of the Raman experiment, acted to vary the momentum sampled during the Raman experiment leading to these spectral dependencies. Furthermore, this was deduced by fitting the Raman response accounting for both the presence of the surface phonon and the overdamped LOPC mode under the Lindhard-Mermin approximation. This fitting not only explains the Raman response, but also clearly exhibits the spatially disperse permittivity of the SiC, which is shown to have a momentum-dependent sensitivity to carrier concentration. Such sensitivity, in turn, highlights the potential of spatial dispersion as a means to accentuate the performance of active IR nanophotonic approaches employing phonon polaritons.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Dynamics of Spin Polarization in Tilted Polariton Rings

We have observed the effect of pseudomagnetic field originating from the polaritonic analog of spin-orbit coupling [transverse electric and transverse magnetic (TE-TM) splitting] on a polariton condensate in a ring-shaped microcavity. The effect gives rise to a stable four-leaf pattern around the ring as seen from the linear polarization measurements of the condensate photoluminescence. This pattern is found to originate from the interplay of the cavity potential, energy relaxation, and TE-TM splitting in the ring. Our observations are compared to the dissipative one-dimensional spinor Gross-Pitaevskii equation with the TE-TM splitting energy, which shows good qualitative agreement.

CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS↗

Anomalous Dispersion in Reflection and Emission of Dye Molecules Strongly Coupled to Surface Plasmon Polaritons

We have studied dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in the Kretschmann geometry (prism/Ag/dye-doped polymer) in weak, intermediate, and ultra-strong exciton–plasmon coupling regimes. The dispersion curves obtained in the reflection experiment were in good agreement with the simple model predictions at small concentrations of dye (Rhodamine 590, Rh590) in the polymer (Poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA). At the same time, highly unusual multi-segment “staircase-like” dispersion curves were observed at extra-large dye concentrations, also in agreement with the simple theoretical model predicting large, small, and negative group velocities featured by different polariton branches. In a separate experiment, we measured angular dependent emission of Rh590 dye and obtained the dispersion curves consisting of two branches, one nearly resembling the SPP dispersion found in reflection and the second one almost horizontal. The results of our study pave the road to unparalleled fundamental science and future applications of weak and strong light—matter interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Molecular Vibrational Polaritons Towards Quantum Technologies

In this paper molecular vibrational polaritons (MVPs)—a hybrid molecular-photon quasiparticle—and the development of a proof-of-principle quantum technology platform are discussed to simulate coherence transfer, for use at room temperature. It is shown that MVPs can form qubits, coherence, and have nonlinear interactions, all at room temperature. Some new insights, such as polaritonic nonlinearity dependence on macroscopic properties including cavity thickness and molecular concentrations are also uncovered. It is hoped that these advances can stimulate more research in developing this system into a quantum technology platform free from the constraints imposed by the requirement of cryogenic conditions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Holographic Nano‐Imaging of Terahertz Dirac Plasmon Polaritons in Topological Insulator Antenna Resonators

Abstract Excitation of Dirac plasmon polaritons (DPPs) in bi‐dimensional materials have attracted considerable interest in recent years, both from perspectives of understanding their physics and exploring their transformative potential for nanophotonic devices, including ultra‐sensitive plasmonic sensors, ultrafast saturable absorbers, modulators, and switches. Topological insulators (TIs) represent an ideal technological platform in this respect because they can support plasmon polaritons formed by Dirac carriers in the topological surface states. Tracing propagation of DPPs is a very challenging task, particularly at terahertz (THz) frequencies, where the DPP wavelength becomes over one order of magnitude shorter than the free space photon wavelength. Furthermore, severe attenuation hinders the comprehensive analysis of their characteristics. Here, the properties of DPPs in real TI‐based devices are revealed. Bi 2 Se 3 rectangular antennas can efficiently confine the propagation of DPPs to a single dimension and, as a result, enhance the DPPs visibility despite the strong intrinsic attenuation. The plasmon dispersion and loss properties from plasmon profiles are experimentally determined, along the antennas, obtained using holographic near‐field nano‐imaging in a wide range of THz frequencies, from 2.05 to 4.3 THz. The detailed investigation of the unveiled DPP properties can guide the design of novel topological quantum devices exploiting their directional propagation.

Chemistry↗

Tunable exciton-polaritons emerging from WS 2 monolayer excitons in a photonic lattice at room temperature

Engineering non-linear hybrid light-matter states in tailored lattices is a central research strategy for the simulation of complex Hamiltonians. Excitons in atomically thin crystals are an ideal active medium for such purposes, since they couple strongly with light and bear the potential to harness giant non-linearities and interactions while presenting a simple sample-processing and room temperature operability. We demonstrate lattice polaritons, based on an open, high-quality optical cavity, with an imprinted photonic lattice strongly coupled to excitons in a WS 2 monolayer. We experimentally observe the emergence of the canonical band-structure of particles in a one-dimensional lattice at room temperature, and demonstrate frequency reconfigurability over a spectral window exceeding 85 meV, as well as the systematic variation of the nearest-neighbour coupling, reflected by a tunability in the bandwidth of the p-band polaritons by 7 meV. The technology presented in this work is a critical demonstration towards reconfigurable photonic emulators operated with non-linear photonic fluids, offering a simple experimental implementation and working at ambient conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spatial coherence of room-temperature monolayer WSe 2 exciton-polaritons in a trap

The emergence of spatial and temporal coherence of light emitted from solid-state systems is a fundamental phenomenon intrinsically aligned with the control of light-matter coupling. It is canonical for laser oscillation, emerges in the superradiance of collective emitters, and has been investigated in bosonic condensates of thermalized light, as well as exciton-polaritons. Our room temperature experiments show the strong light-matter coupling between microcavity photons and excitons in atomically thin WSe 2 . We evidence the density-dependent expansion of spatial and temporal coherence of the emitted light from the spatially confined system ground-state, which is accompanied by a threshold-like response of the emitted light intensity. Additionally, valley-physics is manifested in the presence of an external magnetic field, which allows us to manipulate K and K’ polaritons via the valley-Zeeman-effect. Our findings validate the potential of atomically thin crystals as versatile components of coherent light-sources, and in valleytronic applications at room temperature.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Molecular polariton electroabsorption

Abstract We investigate electroabsorption (EA) in organic semiconductor microcavities to understand whether strong light-matter coupling non-trivially alters their nonlinear optical [ $${\chi }^{(3)}\left(\omega,{{{{\mathrm{0,0}}}}}\right)$$ χ ( 3 ) ω , 0, 0 ] response. Focusing on strongly-absorbing squaraine (SQ) molecules dispersed in a wide-gap host matrix, we find that classical transfer matrix modeling accurately captures the EA response of low concentration SQ microcavities with a vacuum Rabi splitting of $$\hslash \Omega \approx 200$$ ℏ Ω ≈ 200 meV, but fails for high concentration cavities with $$\hslash \Omega \approx 420$$ ℏ Ω ≈ 420 meV. Rather than new physics in the ultrastrong coupling regime, however, we attribute the discrepancy at high SQ concentration to a nearly dark H-aggregate state below the SQ exciton transition, which goes undetected in the optical constant dispersion on which the transfer matrix model is based, but nonetheless interacts with and enhances the EA response of the lower polariton mode. These results indicate that strong coupling can be used to manipulate EA (and presumably other optical nonlinearities) from organic microcavities by controlling the energy of polariton modes relative to other states in the system, but it does not alter the intrinsic optical nonlinearity of the organic semiconductor inside the cavity.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Emerging supersolidity in photonic-crystal polariton condensates

A supersolid is a counter-intuitive phase of matter in which its constituent particles are arranged into a crystalline structure, yet they are free to flow without friction. This requires the particles to share a global macroscopic phase while being able to reduce their total energy by spontaneous, spatial self-organization. The existence of the supersolid phase of matter was speculated more than 50 years ago1, 2, 3–4. However, only recently has there been convincing experimental evidence, mainly using ultracold atomic Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) coupled to electromagnetic fields. There, various guises of the supersolid were created using atoms coupled to high-finesse cavities5,6, with large magnetic dipole moments7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12–13, and spin–orbit-coupled, two-component systems showing stripe phases14, 15–16. Here we provide experimental evidence of a new implementation of the supersolid phase in a driven-dissipative, non-equilibrium context based on exciton–polaritons condensed in a topologically non-trivial, bound state in the continuum (BiC) with exceptionally low losses, realized in a photonic-crystal waveguide. We measure the density modulation of the polaritonic state indicating the breaking of translational symmetry with a precision of several parts in a thousand. Direct access to the phase of the wavefunction allows us to also measure the local coherence of the supersolid. We demonstrate the potential of our synthetic photonic material to host phonon dynamics and a multimode excitation spectrum.

Trypogeorgos, Dimitrios↗

Polaritons and excitons: Hamiltonian design for enhanced coherence

The primary questions motivating this report are: Are there ways to increase coherence and delocalization of excitation among many molecules at moderate electronic coupling strength? Coherent delocalization of excitation in disordered molecular systems is studied using numerical calculations. The results are relevant to molecular excitons, polaritons, and make connections to classical phase oscillator synchronization. In particular, it is hypothesized that it is not only the magnitude of electronic coupling relative to the standard deviation of energetic disorder that decides the limits of coherence, but that the structure of the Hamiltonian—connections between sites (or molecules) made by electronic coupling—is a significant design parameter. Inspired by synchronization phenomena in analogous systems of phase oscillators, some properties of graphs that define the structure of different Hamiltonian matrices are explored. The report focuses on eigenvalues and ensemble density matrices of various structured, random matrices. Some reasons for the special delocalization properties and robustness of polaritons in the single-excitation subspace (the star graph) are discussed. The key result of this report is that, for some classes of Hamiltonian matrix structure, coherent delocalization is not easily defeated by energy disorder, even when the electronic coupling is small compared to disorder.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Strongly Coupled Plasmon and Phonon Polaritons as Seen by Photon and Electron Probes

The ability to control and modify infrared excitations in condensed matter is of both fundamental and applied interest. Here we explore a system supporting low-energy excitations, in particular, mid-infrared localized plasmon modes and phonon polaritons that are tuned to be strongly coupled. We study the coupled modes by using far-field infrared spectroscopy, state-of-the-art monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy, numerical simulations, and analytical modeling. Here we demonstrate that the electron probe facilitates a precise characterization of polaritons constituting the coupled system, and enables an active control over the coupling and the resulting sample response both in frequency and space. Although far-field optical spectra can be substantially different from near-field electron energy-loss spectra, we show that a direct comparison is possible via postprocessing and right positioning of the electron beam. The resulting spectra allow us to evaluate the key parameters of the coupled system, such as the coupling strength, which we demonstrate to be probe independent. Our work establishes a rigorous description of the spectral features observed in light- and localized electron-based spectroscopies, which can be extended to the analysis of analogous optical systems with applications in heat management and electromagnetic field concentration or nanofocusing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Imaging propagative exciton polaritons in atomically thin WSe 2 waveguides

The exciton polariton (EP) is a half-light and half-matter quasiparticle that is promising for exploring both fundamental quantum phenomena as well as photonic applications. Van der Waals materials, such as transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD), emerge as a promising nanophotonics platform due to its support of long propagative EPs even at room temperature. However, real-space studies have been limited to bulk crystal waveguides with a thickness no less than 60 nm. Here, we report the nano-optical imaging of the transverse-electric EPs in WSe 2 nanoflakes down to a few atomic layers, which can be turned on and off by tuning the polarization state of the excitation laser. Unlike previously studied transverse-magnetic modes that exist only in bulk TMD waveguides, we found that the transverse-electric EPs could reside in ultrathin WSe 2 samples, owing to the alignment of the electric field with the in-plane dipole orientation of two-dimensional excitons. Furthermore, we show that the EP wavelength and propagation length can be largely controlled by varying laser energy and sample thickness. These findings open opportunities to realize near-infrared polaritonic devices and circuits truly at the atomically thin limit.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Floquet engineering of polaritonic amplification in dispersive photonic time crystals

In this study, we investigate the dynamics of dispersive photonic time crystals (PTCs) and their potential applications for controlling light-matter interaction. Using the Lorentz-Drude as dispersive material model, we analyze the effects of periodic modulation of dispersion parameters through both theoretical and numerical analysis, revealing the emergence of hybrid bandgaps from the interaction of polaritonic branches with distinctive characteristics. Our study demonstrates that dispersive PTCs offer novel excitation channels and amplification possibilities, that require lower modulation frequencies compared to nondispersive systems thus alleviating experimental challenges for the realization of PTCs in the optical regime. These findings pave the way for advancements in polaritonic lasing and resonant Raman scattering.

Classical optics↗

Full complex amplitude control of second-harmonic generation via electrically tunable intersubband polaritonic metasurfaces

Nonlinear intersubband polaritonic metasurfaces based on coupling of the intersubband nonlinear optical response of quantum-engineered semiconductor heterostructures and electromagnetic modes of nanoresonators provide efficient frequency mixing with moderate pump intensities. The resonant nonlinear optical response, represented as a complex function, can be modulated via Stark tuning of intersubband transition energies under applied voltages. However, achieving full complex amplitude control (both phase and magnitude) remains challenging. In this work, we present and experimentally validate electrically tunable nonlinear intersubband polaritonic metasurfaces that achieve complete complex amplitude control for second-harmonic generation (SHG). Through a design featuring two in-plane flipped meta-atoms per unit cell, we achieve complete electrical control of both the amplitude and phase of the metasurface second-order nonlinear susceptibility, with a tuning range of 0 to 30 nm V −1 for the magnitude and 0-2π for the phase of the nonlinear optical response. Using these properties, we achieve complete on-off SHG modulation and beam diffraction tuning through electrically controlled amplitude and phase gratings.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Coherence Dynamics of the Exciton-Polariton System in GaAs Microcavities under Pulse Resonant Photoexcitation

It is found that exciton-polariton systems resonantly excited in GaAs semiconductor microcavities by coherent picosecond laser pulses inherit the high coherence of the laser beam and retain it for their lifetime (>100 ps), while the coherence-formation time in polariton systems resonantly excited by incoherent pulses without excitation of the exciton reservoir exceeds 200 ps.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗