Electrically tunable artificial gauge potential for polaritons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to create a tunable artificial gauge potential for polaritons using electric and magnetic fields, enabling advanced control of polariton behavior for exploring topological and strongly correlated photonic phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to generate and measure a tunable gauge potential for polaritons via the magnetoelectric Stark effect, applicable in various polarizable media.

Findings

Successful interferometric measurement of the gauge-induced phase.

Demonstration of electric and magnetic field control over polariton trajectories.

Potential for exploring non-equilibrium dynamics of strongly correlated photons.

Abstract

Neutral particles subject to artificial gauge potentials can behave as charged particles in magnetic fields. This fascinating premise has led to demonstrations of one-way waveguides, topologically protected edge states and Landau levels for photons. In ultracold neutral atoms effective gauge fields have allowed the emulation of matter under strong magnetic fields leading to realization of Harper-Hofstadter and Haldane models. Here we show that application of perpendicular electric and magnetic fields effects a tuneable artificial gauge potential for two-dimensional microcavity exciton polaritons. For verification, we perform interferometric measurement of the associated phase accumulated during coherent polariton transport. Since the gauge potential originates from the magnetoelectric Stark effect, it can be realized for photons strongly coupled to excitations in any polarizable medium. Together with strong polariton- polariton interactions and engineered polariton lattices, artificial gauge fields could play a key role in investigation of non-equilibrium dynamics of strongly correlated photons.