“Right-handed” and “left-handed” polaritons in material media

The dispersion law for polariton waves is deduced from analysis of Maxwell equations in a dielectric medium characterized by the presence of resonance in the frequency range of lattice vibrations or exciton transitions. The theory considers polariton waves with right- and left-oriented vectors $\vec E,\vec H,\vec k$ , corresponding to “right-handed” and “left-handed” polaritons. Dispersion dependences of group velocity of polariton waves and effective mass are established for “right-handed” and “left-handed” polaritons. Expressions are obtained for the effective refractive index and reflection coefficient in a wide spectral range including the resonance region. The specific features of lattice reflection spectra in alkali halide crystals are explained using the proposed theory.     

Theory of nonlinear excitation of surface polaritons in lossy media

The purpose of this paper is to study the nonlinear excitation of surface polaritons taking fully into account the damping of the active medium and the finite cross-section of the nonlinear polarization on the interface. This problem is solved using the guided wave calculation techniques where the EM field at the surface polariton frequency is expanded over a complete set of normal modes of the unperturbed interface. Using a “table method” we find that this set includes one guided mode, which is the surface polariton mode, and two classes of radiation modes. The expressions of all these modes are derived and interpreted physically. We then get the expression of the EM field excited at the surface polariton frequency inside and outside the pumped region and show that, in the general case, it is a mixture of all these normal modes. The end of the paper is mainly devoted to the study of the surface term occurring in the expression of the EM field at the surface polariton frequency: we point out the existence of a resonance phenomenon with two kinds of surface polariton modes: the “spatial” one and the “temporal” one. The corresponding dispersion curves, or resonance curves, are given and it is explained how each of them can be obtained experimentally.     

Picosecond spectroscopy of polaritons in anthracene crystals II. Luminescence

The low-temperature luminescence spectrum of anthracene crystals is investigated by applying simultaneous time and frequency resolution. The complicated kinetics of the emission in the polariton bottleneck region reflects directly the evolution and relaxation of the polariton distribution in the crystal. Three distinct relaxation stages are distinguished: (1) the ultrafast decay of initial vibronic excitations, mediated by optical phonons and resulting in a broad distribution of polaritons near the band bottom; (2) the formation of a narrow distribution of polaritons with a characteristic time of 30 ps, which is caused by scattering on acoustic phonons; (3) relaxation through the bottleneck region on a subnanosecond time scale. It is suggested that the polaritons immediately below the resonance frequency are responsible for the observed excitonic energy transfer in anthracene crystals.     

Energy relaxation of excitonlike polaritons in semiconductor microcavities: Effect on the parametric scattering of polaritons

Polariton emission in GaAs-based microcavities has been studied under variable conditions, which made it possible to excite (a) polaritons from the upper polariton branch and hot free polaritons and electrons, (b) polaritons from the lower polariton branch (LPB) and localized excitons, and (c) the mixed system. Variation of the excitation conditions leads to substantial differences in the energy distributions of polaritons and in the temperature dependences of polariton emission. It is established that the energy relaxation of resonantly excited LPB polaritons via polariton and localized exciton states at liquid helium temperatures is ineffective. Instead, the relaxation bottleneck effect is suppressed with increasing temperature by means of exciton delocalization (due to thermal excitation by phonons). The most effective mechanism of relaxation to the LPB bottom is via scattering of delocalized excitons on hot free carriers. It is found that the slow energy relaxation of polaritons excited below the free exciton energy can be significantly accelerated at low temperatures by means of additional weak generation of hot excitons and, especially, hot electrons. This acceleration of the energy relaxation of polaritons by means of additional overbarrier photoexcitation sharply decreases the barrier for stimulated parametric scattering of polaritons excited at an LPB inflection point. Therefore, additional illumination can be used to control the polariton-polariton scattering.     

“Thermal barrier” effect in energy relaxation of polaritons in HgI2

The paper presents the results of measurements of polariton radiation spectra, polariton band excitation spectra and spectra of resonance Raman scattering HgI₂. These are registered at different temperatures and units of energetic derangement between the exciting radiation quantum energy and that of transverse exciton. The threshold value of the temperature (T=12 K) starting from which there is attained the equilibrium between the polariton and phonon subsystems is found. The scattering mechanism that guides the formation of “thermal barrier” favouring the polaritons thermalization, is revealed.     

Stimulated secondary emission from semiconductor microcavities.

We find strong influence of final-state stimulation on the time-resolved light emission dynamics from semiconductor microcavities after pulsed excitation allowing angle-resonant polariton-polariton scattering on the lower-polariton branch. The polariton dynamics can be controlled by injection of final-state polaritons at densities below a polariton saturation density of 5x10(8) cm(-2). A bosonic enhancement factor in the dynamics of up to 700 is evaluated.     

Inverse Raman Scattering by Polaritons in LiNbO3 Single Crystals

Experimental studies of IRS by polaritons in LiNbO₃ are reported for the first time. In compliance with the classification of IRS-scattering geometries by polaritons in uniaxial crystals [3] for different polarisation directions of laser and anti-Stokes continuum two A₁-type polaritons and also E-type-polaritons of the upper and the lower ordinary dispersion branches, respectively, could coherently be generated. Introducing a new polariton specific excitation state instead of the mechanic vibration the shortened IRS equations without small signal approximation are solved in the stationary case and for “responseless” polariton fields. The increase of the laser field and the decrease of the anti-Stokes field show for α_px ? 1 the same behaviour as Stokes growth and laser depletion, respectively, in the case of SRS by dipole inactive levels. Model calculations show the necessity of the used intra cavity arrangement for photographic registration of IRS-polariton spectra.     

Virtual excitation type surface polaritons on anisotropic media

We discuss the nature of a new type of surface polariton which occurs on anisotropic media, involving a photon coupled to a surface virtual excitation. Dispersion curves are calculated for α-quartz, where both real excitation type and virtual excitation type surface polaritons are predicted. The dispersion curves for virtual excitation surface polaritons are found to remain at small wavevector, and the endpoints of the dispersion curves terminate on the bulk polariton dispersion curves in the two media. The virtual excitation surface polaritons which occur on gyromagnetic and gyrodielectric media are also noted.     

Predicted new electromagnetic precursors and altered signal velocity in dispersive media

New optical precursors are predicted in media exhibiting “non-conventional” dispersion characteristics such as spatial dispersion, surface polaritons and surface plasmons. Numerical estimates are given for the exciton and surface polariton precursors in CdS, and surface plasmon in Al. The signal velocity increases in spatially dispersive media and is essentially constant throughout the “stop” gap. Measurement of these effects may provide new spectroscopic information regarding “non-conventional” dispersion.     

Exciton polaritons confined in a ZnO nanowire cavity

Semiconductor nanowires of high purity and crystallinity hold promise as building blocks for miniaturized optoelectrical devices. Using scanning-excitation single-wire emission spectroscopy, with either a laser or an electron beam as a spatially resolved excitation source, we observe standing-wave exciton polaritons in ZnO nanowires at room temperature. The Rabi splitting between the polariton branches is more than 100 meV. The dispersion curve of the modes in the nanowire is substantially modified due to light-matter interaction. This finding forms a key aspect in understanding subwavelength guiding in these nanowires.     

Spontaneous polarization buildup in a room-temperature polariton laser

We observe the buildup of strong (approximately 50%) spontaneous vector polarization in emission from a GaN-based polariton laser excited by short optical pulses at room temperature. The Stokes vector of emitted light changes its orientation randomly from one excitation pulse to another, so that the time-integrated polarization remains zero. This behavior is completely different from any previous laser. We interpret this observation in terms of the spontaneous symmetry breaking in a Bose-Einstein condensate of exciton polaritons.     

Exciton warming in III–V semiconductors and microcavities

We present a time resolved experiment in which we dynamically tailor the occupation and temperature of a photogenerated exciton distribution in QWs by excitation with two delayed picosecond pulses. The modification of the excitonic distribution results in ultrafast changes in the PL dynamics. Our experimental results are well accounted by a quasiequilibrium thermodynamical model, which includes the occupation and momentum distribution of the excitons. We use this model and the two-pulse experimental technique to study the polariton dynamics in InGaAs-based microcavities in the strong coupling regime. In particular, we demonstrate that resonantly injected upper polaritons mainly relax to the lower polariton branch via scattering to large momentum polariton states, producing the warming of the polariton reservoir.     

Controlled spin pattern formation in multistable cavity–polariton systems

Theoretical studies are performed of planar cavity–polariton systems under resonant optical excitation. We show that if the cavity is spatially anisotropic, the polariton spin is highly sensitive to the pump polarization direction, which can be used to modulate the circular polarization of the output light. In particular, when the right- and left-circular components of the incident wave have equal intensities and mutually opposite angular momenta, the pump has strictly linear yet angle-dependent polarization and as such brings about a periodic angular variation of the polariton spin. Free motion of polaritons is the other factor determining the shape of the cavity-field distribution. Such externally driven and highly tunable spin patterns represent a counterpart of spin shaping in nonresonantly excited Bose–Einstein condensates of cavity polaritons.     

太赫兹表面极化激元

作为束缚于表面或界面的电磁波与极性元激发的耦合模量子,表面极化激元是克服衍射极限的核心物理.在紫外、可见以及近红外波段,表面等离子极化激元展现出了亚波长特性,具有高分辨成像等应用,并发展成为"表面等离子极化激元亚波长光学"学科;在中红外波段,表面声子极化激元发挥着同样的作用.太赫兹波段曾是人类认识的空白区域,近三十年来得以高速发展,其战略意义重大.具有克服衍射极限能力的太赫兹表面极化激元同样是小型化与集成化太赫兹器件,以及太赫兹超高分辨成像的重要物理基础.近几年来,对以石墨烯为代表的二维材料的研究突飞猛进,诞生了"石墨烯表面等离子极化激元亚波长光学"这门学科,并贡献于太赫兹领域.本文对可在太赫兹波段工作的人工超构材料、掺杂半导体、二维电子气、二维材料、拓扑绝缘体等结构材料的表面极化激元进行了较为全面的总结与介绍,为研制克服衍射极限的太赫兹集成光子学器件提供可资借鉴的物理基础.     

Dispersion curves for phonon-polaritons associated with an overdamped vibration mode

For an overdamped vibration mode, it is shown that polariton dispersion curves derived from various measurable quantities are different according to the kind of experiments considered and the way they are performed. Experimental results are given for BaTiO₃ and show that a resonant spectrum is observed when polaritons are studied by coherent excitation leading to an easier determination of the overdamped polariton mode parameters.     

The dynamics of a polariton dimer in a disordered coupled array of cavities

We investigate the effect of disorder in the laser intensity on the dynamics of dark-state polaritons in an array of 20 cavities, each containing an ensemble of four-level atoms that is described by a Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. We examine the evolution of the polariton number in the cavities starting from a state with either one or two polaritons in one of the cavities. For the case of a single polariton without disorder in the laser intensity, we calculate the wavefunction of the polariton and find that it disperses away from the initial cavity with time. The addition of disorder results in minimal suppression of the dispersal of the wavefunction. In the case of two polaritons with an on-site repulsion to hopping strength ratio of 20, we find that the polaritons form a repulsively bound state or dimer. Without disorder the dimer wavefunction disperses similarly to the single polariton wavefunction but over a longer time period. The addition of sufficiently strong disorder results in localization of the polariton dimer. The localization length is found to be described by a power law with exponent ? 1.31. We also find that we can localise the dimer at any given time by switching on the disorder.     

Aspects on Applications of IR Reflectivity- and Raman Scattering-Experiments on Polaritons in Solid State Chemistry and Biophysics

The coupled phonon-photon state called “polariton” is an elementary excitation which exists at all temperatures in single crystalline materials with well defined translational symmetries. In the view of this aspect polaritons turn out to be more important for the dynamics of crystal lattices in general than e.g. magnons or plasmons which normally can be excited only in certain low temperature ranges. The present article summarizes experimental results which all might be applied as analytical methods. An improved method for the determination of fundamental mode frequencies is described. Polariton interactions with localized modes, and second order phonons and the relation to the ferroelectric phase transition mechanism is reviewed. Furthermore experiments concerning parametric light scattering, the TM-reflection technique, the ATR-method, and nonlinear optical experiments are summarized. We finally discuss the question of mechanical-electromagnetic energy conversion and some tentative future aspects.     

Dispersion of Exciton Polaritons in Terbium Nitrate Hexahydrate

The dispersion relations of exciton polariton waves in terbium nitrate hexahydrate are determined based on the model of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with resonant electronic states of Tb³⁺ ions at the ⁵D₄–⁷F₆ transition. Frequencies of unitary polaritons characterized by refractive indices equal to unity are determined. It is shown that the group velocity of electromagnetic waves in the region of unitary polaritons is lower than the speed of light in vacuum by several orders of magnitude. A sharp increase in the efficiency of photoluminescence and Raman scattering is predicted in the case where the excitation radiation frequency approaches the unitary polaritons frequency.     

Continuous wave observation of massive polariton redistribution by stimulated scattering in semiconductor microcavities

A massive redistribution of the polariton occupancy to two specific wave vectors, zero and approximately 3.9x10(4) cm(-1), is observed under conditions of continuous wave excitation of a semiconductor microcavity. The "condensation" of the polaritons to the two specific states arises from stimulated scattering at final state occupancies of order unity. The stimulation phenomena, arising due to the bosonic character of the polariton quasiparticles, occur for conditions of resonant excitation of the lower polariton branch. High energy nonresonant excitation, as in most previous work, instead leads to conventional lasing in the vertical cavity structure.     

Diamagnetism of microcavity polaritons induced by spin-dependent polariton–polariton interactions

Diamagnetism of condensed microcavity polaritons in a vertically applied magnetic field is theoretically studied by using the density of free energy of polaritons. The magnetic dependence of polariton–polariton interactions and spin polarization degree of polaritons are derived, and are used to show the diamagnetic behavior of the polariton spin polarization, which is discussed for GaAs-based microcavities. We show that for strong magnetic field the spin polarization of the polaritons is paramagnetic as usual, while around positive exciton–photon detuning and special Rabi splitting, the spin polarization of the polaritons could be diamagnetic. In addition, weak magnetic field and high polariton density are beneficial to observe the polariton diamagnetism.