Spin-momentum locked polariton transport in the chiral strong coupling regime

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates room temperature chiral strong coupling of valley excitons with spin-momentum locked surface plasmons, enabling spin-selective directional polariton flows and coherent superpositions, advancing chiral optical network applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel platform for chiral strong coupling at room temperature with valley excitons and surface plasmons, enabling spin-selective polariton transport and coherence.

Findings

Robust intervalley contrasts and coherences achieved.

Generation of coherent superpositions of chiral polaritons.

Potential for implementing chiral optical networks.

Abstract

We demonstrate room temperature chiral strong coupling of valley excitons in a transition metal dichalcogenide monolayer with spin-momentum locked surface plasmons. In this regime, we measure spin-selective excitation of directional flows of polaritons. Operating under strong light-matter coupling, our platform yields robust intervalley contrasts and coherences, enabling us to generate coherent superpositions of chiral polaritons propagating in opposite directions. Our results reveal the rich and easy to implement possibilities offered by our system in the context of chiral optical networks.