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QUANTUM FLUIDS IN SEMICONDUCTOR MICROCAVITIES

TYPECondensed Matter Seminar
Speaker:Jacqueline Bloch
Affiliation:Laboratoire de Photonique et de Nanostructures, LPN/CNRS, Marcoussis, France
Date:07.05.2013
Time:14:30
Location:Lidow Nathan Rosen (300)
Abstract:At the frontier between non-linear optics and the physics of Bose Einstein
condensation, semiconductor microcavities opened a new research field, both for
fundamental studies of bosonic quantum fluids, and for the development of new devices for
all optical information processing.
Optical properties of semiconductor microcavities are indeed governed by bosonic quasi-
particles named cavity polaritons, which are light-matter mixed states. Cavity polaritons
propagate like photons, but interact strongly with their environment via their matter
component.

Our group at Laboratoire de Photonique and Nanostructures has developed these last
years, thanks to the technological facilities available in the LPN clean room, state of the art
microcavities and photonic circuits.

After a general introduction on cavity polaritons, I will review recent experimental
works performed on these photonic circuits. I will show how we can generate polariton flows
which propagate over macroscopic distances (mm) while preserving their spatial and
temporal coherence. These polaritons can be optically manipulated, trapped and re-amplified
along their propagation. These recently published properties are the basic ingredients for
future development of polaritonic devices. I will describe recently implemented polariton
devices: a polariton interferometer and a non-linear resonant tunneling polariton diode.
Finally I will illustrate the crucial role of polariton interactions by presenting self-trapping
experiments in coupled cavities.
I will conclude with some perspectives opened by these new polariton devices.