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Ma X, Berger B, Aßmann M, Driben R, Meier T, Schneider C, Höfling S, Schumacher S. Realization of all-optical vortex switching in exciton-polariton condensates. Nat Commun 2020; 11:897. [PMID: 32060289 PMCID: PMC7021691 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14702-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Vortices are topological objects representing the circular motion of a fluid. With their additional degree of freedom, the vorticity, they have been widely investigated in many physical systems and different materials for fundamental interest and for applications in data storage and information processing. Vortices have also been observed in non-equilibrium exciton-polariton condensates in planar semiconductor microcavities. There they appear spontaneously or can be created and pinned in space using ring-shaped optical excitation profiles. However, using the vortex state for information processing not only requires creation of a vortex but also efficient control over the vortex after its creation. Here we demonstrate a simple approach to control and switch a localized polariton vortex between opposite states. In our scheme, both the optical control of vorticity and its detection through the orbital angular momentum of the emitted light are implemented in a robust and practical manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuekai Ma
- Department of Physics and Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn (CeOPP), Universität Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany.
| | - Bernd Berger
- Experimentelle Physik 2, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Marc Aßmann
- Experimentelle Physik 2, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Rodislav Driben
- Department of Physics and Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn (CeOPP), Universität Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Torsten Meier
- Department of Physics and Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn (CeOPP), Universität Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Christian Schneider
- Technische Physik, Physikalisches Institut and Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sven Höfling
- Technische Physik, Physikalisches Institut and Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.,SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS, UK
| | - Stefan Schumacher
- Department of Physics and Center for Optoelectronics and Photonics Paderborn (CeOPP), Universität Paderborn, Warburger Strasse 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany.,College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
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Abstract
We consider a nanostructure of two coupled ring waveguides with constant linear gain and nonlinear absorption - the system that can be implemented in various settings including polariton condensates, optical waveguides or atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. It is found that, depending on the parameters, this simple configuration allows for observing several complex nonlinear phenomena, which include spontaneous symmetry breaking, modulational instability leading to generation of stable circular flows with various vorticities, stable inhomogeneous states with interesting structure of currents flowing between rings, as well as dynamical regimes having signatures of chaotic behavior.
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