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Spin-selective strong light–matter coupling in a 2D hole gas-microcavity system

Nature Photonics volume 17, pages 912–916 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

The interplay between time-reversal symmetry breaking and strong light–matter coupling in two-dimensional (2D) gases brings intriguing aspects to polariton physics. This combination can lead to a polarization/spin-selective light–matter interaction in the strong coupling regime. Here we report such a selective strong light–matter interaction by harnessing a 2D gas in the quantum Hall regime coupled to a microcavity. Specifically, we demonstrate circular-polarization dependence of the vacuum Rabi splitting, as a function of magnetic field and hole density. We provide a quantitative understanding of the phenomenon by modelling the coupling of optical transitions between Landau levels to the microcavity. This method introduces a control tool over the spin degree of freedom in polaritonic semiconductor systems, paving the way for new experimental possibilities in light–matter hybrids.

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Fig. 1: System description and physical mechanisms.
Fig. 2: Energy dispersion of the system probed at values of B corresponding to the three ranges of ν shown in Fig. 1b–d.
Fig. 3: Magnetic field dependence of the system resonance at the momentum at which the bare cavity and exciton energies cross.
Fig. 4: Quantitative description of the spin-selective SC effect.

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All of the data that support the findings of this study are reported in the main text, supplementary information and supplementary videos. Source data are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Imamoglu and S. Ravets for valuable discussions and enriching feedback on the paper. This work was supported by grants AFOSR FA9550-20-1-0223, FA9550-19-1-0399, ONR N00014-20-1-2325, NSF IMOD DMR-2019444 and ARL W911NF1920181, M. Martin and the Simons Foundation. P.K. acknowledges financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    D. G. Suárez-Forero, D. W. Session, M. Jalali Mehrabad & M. Hafezi

  2. Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    P. Knüppel

  3. Solid State Physics Laboratory, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    S. Faelt & W. Wegscheider

  4. Institute of Quantum Electronics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    S. Faelt

  5. Pauli Center for Theoretical Studies, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

    M. Hafezi

Authors
  1. D. G. Suárez-Forero
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Contributions

D.G.S.-F. and M.H. conceived and designed the experiments. S.F. and W.W. designed and fabricated the microcavity-QW sample. D.W.S. processed the sample to adapt it for the required measurements. D.G.S.-F. performed the experiments. D.G.S.-F., M.H., M.J.M. and P.K. analysed the data and interpreted the results. D.G.S.-F., M.J.M. and M.H. wrote the paper, with input from all authors.

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Correspondence to D. G. Suárez-Forero or M. Hafezi.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Photonics thanks Guillaume Malpuech and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figs. 1–4 and Discussion.

Supplementary Video 1

Energy dispersion versus magnetic field for high charge density.

Supplementary Video 2

Energy dispersion versus magnetic field for medium charge density.

Supplementary Video 3

Energy dispersion versus magnetic field for charge neutrality.

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Suárez-Forero, D.G., Session, D.W., Jalali Mehrabad, M. et al. Spin-selective strong light–matter coupling in a 2D hole gas-microcavity system. Nat. Photon. 17, 912–916 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-023-01248-3

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