Polariton condensation in a planar microcavity with InGaAs quantum wells

TL;DR

This paper reports the fabrication of a strain compensated GaAs/AlAs microcavity with InGaAs quantum wells, demonstrating polariton condensation and distinguishing it from photon lasing, advancing on-chip quantum emulation platforms.

Contribution

It introduces a new microcavity design with InGaAs quantum wells that enables clear observation of polariton condensation and its distinction from photon lasing.

Findings

Evidence of polariton condensation in reflection and transmission spectra.

Identification of a second threshold indicating transition to photon lasing.

Enhanced control over polariton interactions in microcavities.

Abstract

Polariton lattice condensates provide a platform for on chip quantum emulations. Interactions in extended polariton lattices are currently limited by the intrinsic photonic disorder of microcavities. Here, we fabricate a strain compensated planar GaAs/AlAs microcavity with embedded InGaAs quantum wells and report on polariton condensation under non-resonant optical excitation. Evidence of polariton condensation is supported spectroscopically both in reflection and transmission geometry, whilst the observation of a second threshold to photon lasing allows us to conclusively distinguish between the strong- and weak-coupling non-linear regimes.