Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review B

Polariton-polariton interactions in microcavities under a resonant 10 to 100 picosecond pulse excitation

A. V. Sekretenko, Sergei S. Gavrilov, V. D. Kulakovskiĭ

Published Nov 7, 2013• 37 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Experimental studies have been performed of the nonequilibrium transitions in multistable cavity-polariton systems under 10 ps long pulsed excitation, i.e., within nearly the shortest time scale necessary for the multistability to be revealed in GaAs-based microcavities. The experiments were aimed to determine the ratio of the strengths of the pair interactions between polaritons with parallel and antiparallel spins, which also was the question raised in a number of recent studies. We show that in contrast to the cases of continuous-wave or nanosecond long pumping conditions, in the fast pulse regime the system is not affected by the excitonic reservoir. The interaction between polaritons with opposite spins is definitely attractive at a nearly zero detuning of exciton and photon modes; as a result, optical response can be essentially multistable at a linearly polarized excitation. With increasing pulse duration up to 100 ps, the reservoir can start manifesting itself in a reduction of the spin multistability.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.88.195302

Related papers

Bistability and nonequilibrium transitions in the system of cavity polaritons under nanosecond-long resonant excitation

Sergei S. Gavrilov, Andrey S. Brichkin, A. A. Demenev +5 more

The polarization dependence of nonequilibrium transitions in a multistable cavity-polariton system is studied under nanosecond-long resonant optical excitation at normal and magic angle incidences with various polarizations of the pump beam. The temporal correlations between the frequency, intensity, and optical polarization of the intracavity field, which all undergo sharp threshold-like changes due to the spin-dependent interaction of cavity polaritons, are visualized. The observed dynamics cannot be reproduced within the conventional semiclassical model based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equations. To explain the observed phenomena, it is necessary to take into account the unpolarized exciton reservoir that brings on an additional blue shift of bright excitons, the same for the ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{+}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ polarization components. This model explains the effect of polarization instability under both pulsed- and continuous-wave resonant excitation conditions, consistently with the spin ring pattern formation that has recently been observed under Gaussian-shaped excitation.

arXiv:1106.4175•Physical Review B•Feb 27, 2012•32 citations

Multistability in chiral cavity-polariton systems

Sergei S. Gavrilov, A. V. Sekretenko, Николай Алексеевич Гиппиус +5 more

Chirality of cavity polaritons, brought on by lifted degeneracy of right- and left-circularly polarized polariton levels, makes possible a new kind of multistability that manifests itself in fast (few tens of picoseconds) spin-flip transitions in the cavity field under a resonant pump with fixed polarization but varying intensity. This effect is due to resonance-shifting polariton-polariton interactions; it has been described within a coherent mean-field approach and observed experimentally using pulsed 70 picosecond long excitation in a magnetic field.

•Dec 23, 2012•0 citations

Microcavity polariton spin quantum beats without a magnetic field: A manifestation of Coulomb exchange in dense and polarized polariton systems

P. Renucci, Th. Amand, X. Marie +4 more

Microcavity polariton spin dynamics is investigated in high-finesse microcavities under resonant excitation using polarization- and time-resolved secondary emission spectroscopy. Using an appropriate calibration procedure, the instantaneous polariton occupation numbers of the modes with $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathbf{0}$ wave vectors can be determined. When the phase-matching conditions are achieved, we show that Coulomb scattering dominates the other processes, and that stimulation occurs when the occupation of the $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathbf{0}$ final state with a given mode polarization approaches unity. Under elliptically polarized light, we show that the stimulated polariton scattering leads to an increase with time of the circular polarization of the $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathbf{0}$ states, while the linear polarization dynamics is characterized first by a fast drop to negative or zero values immediately after the excitation pulse, followed by weak-amplitude nonperiodic oscillations. The latter are interpreted as the manifestation of the pseudospin precession of the pumped polariton modes around the self-induced exchange effective field.

Physical Review B•Aug 5, 2005•154 citations

Tunable spin multistability of cavity polaritons for multichannel optical switching

Szu-Cheng Cheng, Ting-Wei Chen

We present a theoretical study of spin multistability and hysteresis in resonantly pumped exciton–polaritons within semiconductor microcavities. This multistable behavior arises from the nonlinear, polarization-dependent anisotropy of polariton–polariton interactions. Unlike conventional optical bistability in spinless nonlinear optical systems, the dynamics are governed by spin-selective coupling. We calculate the steady-state polariton density and degree of circular polarization of the intracavity polariton field, demonstrating that for a fixed pump polarization, wave vector, and detuning, the degree of polarization could take on multiple values depending on the pump strength. This spin-sensitive multistability lays the groundwork for multichannel optical switches governed not just by total pump intensity but also by its pump polarization.

Journal of the Optical Society of America B•Dec 23, 2025•1 citation

Spin multistability of cavity polaritons in a magnetic field

Sergei S. Gavrilov, A. V. Sekretenko, Николай Алексеевич Гиппиус +5 more

Ultrafast transitions between opposite-spin states of multicomponent bosonic condensates, proceeding on the timescale comparable to the lifetime of the particles the condensate consists of, are demonstrated in a resonantly excited system of cavity polaritons in a magnetic field. Spin-sensitive pair interactions enable fast and massive spin flips occurring at critical amplitudes due to the interplay between amplitude-dependent shifts of eigenstates and the Zeeman splitting. Dominant spin of a condensate can be toggled back and forth by tuning of the pump intensity only, which was impossible in spin-degenerate cavity-polariton systems, cavities with weak exciton-photon coupling, and other previously known photonic systems and devices.

arXiv:1212.5787•Physical Review B•May 28, 2013•29 citations

Polarization Multistability of Cavity Polaritons

Николай Алексеевич Гиппиус, Ivan Andreevich Shelykh, Dmitry D. Solnyshkov +5 more

New effects of polarization multistability and polarization hysteresis in a coherently driven polariton system in a semiconductor microcavity are predicted and theoretically analyzed. The multistability arises due to polarization-dependent polariton-polariton interactions and can be revealed in polarization resolved photoluminescence experiments. The pumping power required to observe this effect is 4 orders of magnitude lower than the characteristic pumping power in conventional bistable optical systems.

arXiv:cond-mat/0612686•Physical Review Letters•Jun 4, 2007•231 citations
Experimental studies have been performed of the nonequilibrium transitions in multistable cavity-polariton systems under 10 ps long pulsed excitation, i.e., within nearly the shortest time scale necessary for the multistability to be revealed in GaAs-based microcavities. The experiments were aimed to determine the ratio of the strengths of the pair interactions between polaritons with parallel and antiparallel spins, which also was the question raised in a number of recent studies. We show that in contrast to the cases of continuous-wave or nanosecond long pumping conditions, in the fast pulse regime the system is not affected by the excitonic reservoir. The interaction between polaritons with opposite spins is definitely attractive at a nearly zero detuning of exciton and photon modes; as a result, optical response can be essentially multistable at a linearly polarized excitation. With increasing pulse duration up to 100 ps, the reservoir can start manifesting itself in a reduction of the spin multistability.
The polarization dependence of nonequilibrium transitions in a multistable cavity-polariton system is studied under nanosecond-long resonant optical excitation at normal and magic angle incidences with various polarizations of the pump beam. The temporal correlations between the frequency, intensity, and optical polarization of the intracavity field, which all undergo sharp threshold-like changes due to the spin-dependent interaction of cavity polaritons, are visualized. The observed dynamics cannot be reproduced within the conventional semiclassical model based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equations. To explain the observed phenomena, it is necessary to take into account the unpolarized exciton reservoir that brings on an additional blue shift of bright excitons, the same for the ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{+}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ polarization components. This model explains the effect of polarization instability under both pulsed- and continuous-wave resonant excitation conditions, consistently with the spin ring pattern formation that has recently been observed under Gaussian-shaped excitation.
Chirality of cavity polaritons, brought on by lifted degeneracy of right- and left-circularly polarized polariton levels, makes possible a new kind of multistability that manifests itself in fast (few tens of picoseconds) spin-flip transitions in the cavity field under a resonant pump with fixed polarization but varying intensity. This effect is due to resonance-shifting polariton-polariton interactions; it has been described within a coherent mean-field approach and observed experimentally using pulsed 70 picosecond long excitation in a magnetic field.
Microcavity polariton spin dynamics is investigated in high-finesse microcavities under resonant excitation using polarization- and time-resolved secondary emission spectroscopy. Using an appropriate calibration procedure, the instantaneous polariton occupation numbers of the modes with $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathbf{0}$ wave vectors can be determined. When the phase-matching conditions are achieved, we show that Coulomb scattering dominates the other processes, and that stimulation occurs when the occupation of the $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathbf{0}$ final state with a given mode polarization approaches unity. Under elliptically polarized light, we show that the stimulated polariton scattering leads to an increase with time of the circular polarization of the $\mathbf{k}\ensuremath{\approx}\mathbf{0}$ states, while the linear polarization dynamics is characterized first by a fast drop to negative or zero values immediately after the excitation pulse, followed by weak-amplitude nonperiodic oscillations. The latter are interpreted as the manifestation of the pseudospin precession of the pumped polariton modes around the self-induced exchange effective field.
We present a theoretical study of spin multistability and hysteresis in resonantly pumped exciton–polaritons within semiconductor microcavities. This multistable behavior arises from the nonlinear, polarization-dependent anisotropy of polariton–polariton interactions. Unlike conventional optical bistability in spinless nonlinear optical systems, the dynamics are governed by spin-selective coupling. We calculate the steady-state polariton density and degree of circular polarization of the intracavity polariton field, demonstrating that for a fixed pump polarization, wave vector, and detuning, the degree of polarization could take on multiple values depending on the pump strength. This spin-sensitive multistability lays the groundwork for multichannel optical switches governed not just by total pump intensity but also by its pump polarization.
Ultrafast transitions between opposite-spin states of multicomponent bosonic condensates, proceeding on the timescale comparable to the lifetime of the particles the condensate consists of, are demonstrated in a resonantly excited system of cavity polaritons in a magnetic field. Spin-sensitive pair interactions enable fast and massive spin flips occurring at critical amplitudes due to the interplay between amplitude-dependent shifts of eigenstates and the Zeeman splitting. Dominant spin of a condensate can be toggled back and forth by tuning of the pump intensity only, which was impossible in spin-degenerate cavity-polariton systems, cavities with weak exciton-photon coupling, and other previously known photonic systems and devices.
New effects of polarization multistability and polarization hysteresis in a coherently driven polariton system in a semiconductor microcavity are predicted and theoretically analyzed. The multistability arises due to polarization-dependent polariton-polariton interactions and can be revealed in polarization resolved photoluminescence experiments. The pumping power required to observe this effect is 4 orders of magnitude lower than the characteristic pumping power in conventional bistable optical systems.