Optical analogue of the spin Hall effect in a photonic cavity

Maragkou, Maria; Richards, Caryl E.; Ostatnický, T.; Grundy, A. J. D.; Zajac, Joanna M.; Hugues, Maxime; Langbein, Wolfgang Werner; Lagoudakis, Pavlos G.

doi:10.1364/ol.36.001095

Cited by 49 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The high degree of circular polarization that we observe is due to the polarization splitting of transverse electric and transverse magnetic optical modes (TE-TM splitting) [34] (see [20], S7). The latter gives rise to the optical spin Hall effect [35] that has been observed in both polaritonic [36] and photonic microcavities [37]. In our simulations [ Fig.…”

mentioning

confidence: 56%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Linear Wave Dynamics Explains Observations Attributed to Dark Solitons in a Polariton Quantum Fluid

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigate the propagation and scattering of polaritons in a planar GaAs microcavity in the linear regime under resonant excitation. The propagation of the coherent polariton wave across an extended defect creates phase and intensity patterns with identical qualitative features previously attributed to dark and half-dark solitons of polaritons. We demonstrate that these features are observed for negligible nonlinearity (i.e., polariton-polariton interaction) and are, therefore, not sufficient to identify dark and half-dark solitons. A linear model based on the Maxwell equations is shown to reproduce the experimental observations. PACS numbers:Solitons are solitary waves that preserve their shape while propagating through a dispersive medium [1,2] due to the compensation of the dispersion-induced broadening by the nonlinearity of the medium [3]. Over the years, spatial solitons have been observed by employing a variety of nonlinearities ranging from Kerr nonlinear media [4] to photorefractive [5] and quadratic [6] materials. Apart from their potential application in optical communications [7,8], solitons are important features of interacting Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and superfluids. The nonlinear properties of BECs can give rise to the formation of quantized interacting vortices and solitons, the latter resulting from the cancellation of the dispersion by interactions, for example, in atomic condensates. A special class of solitons is the so-called dark soliton, which feature a density node accompanied by a π phase jump. Since the first theoretical prediction in the context of BECs [9], dark solitons were studied and observed first in the field of nonlinear optics [10] and, then, in cold-atom BECs [11]. The experimental observation of BECs [12] and superfluidity [13,14] of exciton-polaritons, has sparked interest in the quantum-hydrodynamic properties of polariton fluids. In particular, the nucleation of solitary waves in the wake of an obstacle (i.e.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 56%

“…The TE-TM splitting of the optical mode in a photonic cavity is responsible for an anisotropy in the polarization flux, as previously shown on the same sample in Ref. [37]. Here, the same values of the TE-TM splitting have been used to perform the simulations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 69%

Linear Wave Dynamics Explains Observations Attributed to Dark Solitons in a Polariton Quantum Fluid

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This mechanism would provide an additional momentum-dependent splitting and should be more important for higher energy states (i.e., the multiplet jlj ¼ 2). In planar microcavities, this mechanism is responsible for the so-called optical spin-Hall effect for polaritons and photons propagating at high speeds [9,38]. In our analysis, we neglected this contribution since it does not seem to play a major role in the coupling of the ground state of the micropillars, as reported in previous experiments with two coupled micropillars [31].…”

Section: Emergence Of the Spin-orbit Couplingmentioning

confidence: 92%

Spin-Orbit Coupling for Photons and Polaritons in Microstructures

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We use coupled micropillars etched out of a semiconductor microcavity to engineer a spin-orbit Hamiltonian for photons and polaritons in a microstructure. The coupling between the spin and orbital momentum arises from the polarization-dependent confinement and tunneling of photons between adjacent micropillars arranged in the form of a hexagonal photonic molecule. It results in polariton eigenstates with distinct polarization patterns, which are revealed in photoluminescence experiments in the regime of polariton condensation. Thanks to the strong polariton nonlinearities, our system provides a photonic workbench for the quantum simulation of the interplay between interactions and spin-orbit effects, particularly when extended to two-dimensional lattices.

show abstract

“…While phenomena caused by SO coupling are ubiquitous in fermionic systems, they have yet to be explored in bosonic matter. Available experimental data for bosons include the optical spin Hall effect in photonic systems [10,16,17] and spin patterns in atomic condensates [18,19]. Here, we report the observation of spin currents and associated rich variety of polarization patterns in a coherent gas of indirect excitons.…”

mentioning

confidence: 86%

Spin Currents in a Coherent Exciton Gas

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spin currents and spin textures are observed in a coherent gas of indirect excitons. Applied magnetic fields bend the spin current trajectories and transform patterns of linear polarization from helical to spiral and patterns of circular polarization from four-leaf to bell-like-with-inversion.Studies of electron spin currents in semiconductors led to the discoveries of the spin Hall effect [1][2][3][4][5][6], persistent spin helix [7], and spin drift, diffusion, and drag [8][9][10]. There is also considerable interest in developing semiconductor (opto)electronic devices based on spin currents. An important role in spin current phenomena is played by spin-orbit (SO) coupling. It is the origin of the spin Hall effect and persistent spin helix. It also creates spin structures with the spin vector perpendicular to the momentum of the electrons in metals [11] and topological insulators [12][13][14]. While phenomena caused by SO coupling are ubiquitous in fermionic systems, they have yet to be explored in bosonic matter. Available experimental data for bosons include the optical spin Hall effect in photonic systems [10,16,17] and spin patterns in atomic condensates [18,19]. Here, we report the observation of spin currents and associated rich variety of polarization patterns in a coherent gas of indirect excitons. Applied magnetic fields bend the spin current trajectories and transform patterns of linear polarization from helical to spiral and patterns of circular polarization from four-leaf to bell-like-with-inversion. We also present a theory of exciton transport with spin precession that reproduces the observed exciton polarization patterns and indicates trajectories of spin currents.Excitons -bound pairs of electrons and holes -form a model system to study spin currents of bosons [20]. SO coupling for an exciton originates from the combined Dresselhaus and Rashba effects for the electron and the hole [21][22][23]. An indirect exciton can be formed by an electron and a hole confined in separate quantum-well (QW) layers arXiv:1302.3852v1 [cond-mat.mes-hall]

show abstract

Optical analogue of the spin Hall effect in a photonic cavity

Cited by 49 publications

References 16 publications

Linear Wave Dynamics Explains Observations Attributed to Dark Solitons in a Polariton Quantum Fluid

Linear Wave Dynamics Explains Observations Attributed to Dark Solitons in a Polariton Quantum Fluid

Spin-Orbit Coupling for Photons and Polaritons in Microstructures

Spin Currents in a Coherent Exciton Gas

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About