Polariton condensation in a one-dimensional disordered potential

We study the coherence and density modulation of a nonequilibrium exciton-polariton condensate in a one-dimensional valley with disorder. By means of interferometric measurements we evidence a modulation of the first-order coherence function and we relate it to a disorder-induced modulation of the condensate density, that increases as the pump power is increased. The nonmonotonic spatial coherence function is found to be the result of the strong nonequilibrium character of the one-dimensional system, in the presence of disorder.     

Polariton condensation with localized excitons and propagating photons

We estimate the condensation temperature for microcavity polaritons, allowing for their internal structure. We consider polaritons formed from localized excitons in a planar microcavity, using a generalized Dicke model. At low densities, we find a condensation temperature T(c) proportional, rho, as expected for a gas of structureless polaritons. However, as T(c) becomes of the order of the Rabi splitting, the structure of the polaritons becomes relevant, and the condensation temperature is that of a BCS-like mean-field theory. We also calculate the excitation spectrum, which is related to observable quantities such as the luminescence and absorption spectra.     

Polariton kinetics for bosonic condensation in CdTe-microcavities for various Rabi splittings and detunings

The applied Boltzmann relaxation kinetics for stationary and ps-pulsed nonresonant pumping takes the polariton-acoustic phonon and the polariton-polariton scattering into account. For cavities with a vacuum Rabi splitting around , we find for ps-pulse excitation a transient bosonic condensation in the ground state. For microcavities with a large vacuum Rabi splitting of we find for zero detuning, due to the steep increase of radiative losses, a condensation with a macroscopically occupied state in the wavenumber region at which the Bragg mirrors become transparent. With positive detunings which increase the scattering rates, the finite-size Bose-Einstein condensation in the ground state is restored.     

Polariton dynamics of a one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystal in crossed magnetic and electric fields

By an example of a semibounded one-dimensional magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) of easy-axis antiferromagnet-nonmagnetic dielectric type placed in mutually orthogonal dc magnetic and electric fields, conditions are found under which the quadratic magneto-optic interaction leads to a number of anomalies in the reflection and propagation conditions for TM or TE waves incident from outside on the surface of the superlattice. It is assumed that the easy magnetic axis is collinear to the electric field.     

Whispering gallery mode hybridization in photonic molecules

This work takes inspiration from chemistry where the spectral characteristics of the molecules are determined by hybridization of electronic states evolving from the individual atomic orbitals. Based on analogy between quantum mechanics and the classical electrodynamics, we sorted dielectric microspheres with almost identical positions of their whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonances. Using these microspheres as classical photonic atoms, we assembled them in a wide range of structures including linear chains and planar photonic molecules. We studied WGM hybridization effects in such structures using side coupling by tapered microfibers as well as finite difference time domain modeling. We demonstrated that the patterns of WGM spectral splitting are representative of the symmetry, number of constituting atoms and topology of the photonic molecules which in principle can be viewed as “spectral signatures” of various molecules. We also show new ways of controlling WGM coupling constants in such molecules. Excellent agreement was found between measured transmission spectra and spectral signatures of photonic molecules predicted by simulation.

     

Observation of Bose-Einstein condensation of molecules

We have observed Bose-Einstein condensation of molecules. When a spin mixture of fermionic 6Li atoms was evaporatively cooled in an optical dipole trap near a Feshbach resonance, the atomic gas was converted into 6Li2 molecules. Below 600 nK, a Bose-Einstein condensate of up to 900 000 molecules was identified by the sudden onset of a bimodal density distribution. This condensate realizes the limit of tightly bound fermion pairs in the crossover between BCS superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensation.     

Nonequilibrium Bose condensation — Excitonic molecules in CuCl

It is shown that the previously proposed theory of the nonequilibrium Bose-Einstein condensation of an initially prepared system of Bose particles describes in a quantitative way recent experimental results [2] on the dense system of excitonic molecules in CuCl.     

Ideal homoatomic and heteroatomic photonic crystal molecules

A local tuning of the modes of photonic crystal systems both to blue and to red sides of the resonance is implemented by nano-infiltration/evaporation of water and laser micro-oxidation. This technology is used to completely control coupled photonic nanocavities (photonic crystal molecules). Beside the standard condition of zero detuning between identical modes of the two cavities (homoatomic molecule), we are also able to produce coupling between two modes of different polarization and spatial distribution (heteroatomic molecule).     

Coupling of whispering-gallery modes in size-mismatched microdisk photonic molecules

Mechanisms of whispering-gallery (WG)-mode coupling in microdisk photonic molecules (PMs) with slight and significant size mismatches are numerically investigated. The results reveal two different scenarios of modes interaction depending on the degree of this mismatch and offer new insight into how PM parameters can be tuned to control and modify WG-mode wavelengths and Q factors. From a practical point of view, these findings offer a way to fabricate PM microlaser structures that exhibit low thresholds and directional emission and at the same time are more tolerant to fabrication errors than previously explored coupled-cavity structures composed of identical microresonators.     

Considerations relevant to Bose condensation of excitonic molecules in CdSe

The transition temperature for an anisotropic Bose gas, and the lattice temperature rise following pulsed photo-excitation, are computed. Comparison with experimentally realizable conditions shows that Bose condensation of excitonic molecules in CdSe cannot be attained following pulsed photoexcitation.     

Observation of the Bose condensation of excitonic molecules in CdSe

It is observed that excitonic molecules in CdSe exhibit the Bose condensation when excitation is given at 1.8–4.2 K by pico-second light pulses from a mode-locked glass laser. Strong evidence is provided by the appearance of an extremely sharp luminescence line produced from the excitonic molecules condensed to the k = 0 state.     

Modification of photon states in photonic molecules with semiconductor nanocrystals

We report on the coherent coupling of whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in a photonic molecule formed from two melamine formaldehyde spherical microcavities coated with a thin shell of CdTe nanocrystals. Utilizing different excitation conditions, the splitting of the WGM resonances originating from bonding and antibonding branches of the photonic states is observed and a fine structure consisting of very sharp peaks resulting from lifting of the WGM degeneracy has been detected. Observation of optical wavelength switching with controllable spectral position and separation is reported.     

Resonant optical interactions with molecules confined in photonic band-gap fibers

We investigate resonant nonlinear optical interactions and demonstrate induced transparency in acetylene molecules in a hollow-core photonic-band-gap fiber at 1.5 mum. The induced spectral transmission window is used to demonstrate slow-light effects, and we show that the observed broadening of the spectral features is due to collisions of the molecules with the inner walls of the fiber core. Our results illustrate that such fibers can be used to facilitate strong coherent light-matter interactions even when the optical response of the individual molecules is weak.     

Polariton dynamics of a one-dimensional gyrotropic magnetic photonic crystal in a dc electric field: II. Surface waves

Localization and dispersion of collective magnetic TE and TM polaritons are analyzed for a semi-infinite, one-dimensional, magnetic photonic crystal of the compensated antiferromagnetic-nonmagnetic dielectric type in the presence of orthogonal magnetic and electric fields. The case where easy magnetization axis is orthogonal to the external electric field is considered.     

Polariton modes in superlattice media

The propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves in superlattice media are discussed and various polariton modes with corresponding equations fixing their dispersion relations are derived.     

Nonclassical Effects in Polariton System

In this paper we study a model polariton system. With the photons and the phonons being initially prepared in coherent state and vacuum state respectively, we show that as time evolves, the distributions of photons, phonons, and polaritons can be sub-Poissonian, and the photon quadrature squeezing, the phonon quadrature squeezing, and the polariton quadrature squeezing can exist in this system.     

Polariton emission in GaN microcavities

We present a detailed experimental study aimed at demonstrating the polariton nature of the photoluminescence emission in a bulk GaN microcavity grown on (111) silicon. The comparison of the photoluminescence with coincident reflectivity measurements at different temperatures shows an anticrossing behaviour with a Rabi splitting of the order of 35 meV up to room temperature. Relevant confirmations of the mixing between excitons and photons are found in the analysis of the spectral linewidth and of the time resolved kinetics.     

Saturated optical absorption by slow molecules in hollow-core photonic band-gap fibers

We report on saturated absorption in a hollow-core photonic band-gap fiber filled with 12C2H2 molecules. We find that slow molecules provide a major contribution to the signal in the limit of low optical power and low pressure where the signal deviates significantly from the usual Lorentzian line shape. In particular, we observe a linewidth reduction of about 3 times as compared to the transit-time limited linewidth.     

Polariton dynamics of a one-dimensional gyrotropic magnetic photonic crystal in a dc electric field: I. Peculiarities of refraction

It is shown that both TE and TM waves incident on the surface of a semi-infinite one-dimensional thin-layer gyrotropic magnetic photonic crystal of the magnetic-nonmagnetic dielectric type can experience a number of refraction anomalies in an external electric field due to the effect of hybridization of evanescent waves in magnetic and nonmagnetic layers. These anomalies are absent under the same conditions in spatially homogeneous media consisting of the same materials as the photonic crystal.     

Polariton modes in semiconductor superlattices

Polariton electric fields and dispersion relations of some important complex-basis superlattices have been derived by means of electromagnetic theory and the Bloch's theorem. The spatial distribution of the polariton electric fields shows an interesting physical picture: the polaritons are mainly bulk modes as the wavenumber k is small and become typical interface modes with very strong peak intensities as k increases.