Quantum and classical multiple scattering effects in spin dynamics of cavity polaritons

TL;DR

This paper investigates how both classical and quantum effects influence the spin dynamics and transport properties of exciton-polaritons, considering polarization, spin splitting, and weak localization phenomena.

Contribution

It develops a generalized kinetic formalism to analyze quantum and classical scattering effects on exciton-polariton spin transport, including polarization conversion and spin relaxation.

Findings

Quantum corrections to spin diffusion can be positive or negative depending on spin splitting.

Strong spin splitting does not cause antilocalization in particle diffusion.

The formalism applies to optical spin Hall effect conditions.

Abstract

The transport properties of exciton-polaritons are studied with allowance for their polarization. Both classical multiple scattering effects and quantum effects such as weak localization are taken into account in the framework of a generalized kinetic equation. The longitudinal-transverse (TE-TM) splitting of polariton states which plays role analogous to the spin-orbit splitting in electron systems is taken into account. The developed formalism is applied to calculate the particle and spin diffusion coefficients of exciton-polaritons, spin relaxation rates and the polarization conversion efficiency under the conditions of the optical spin Hall effect. In contrast to the electron systems, strong spin splitting does not lead to the antilocalization behavior of the particle diffusion coefficient, while quantum corrections to spin diffusion and polarization conversion can be both negative and positive depending on the spin splitting value.