Directional optical switching and transistor functionality using optical parametric oscillation in a spinor polariton fluid

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel all-optical transistor-like switching method in a spinor polariton fluid, enabling 90-degree beam switching with tunable speed and amplification, advancing polariton-based optical computing.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach for orthogonal beam switching in spinor polariton fluids, overcoming limitations of previous hexagon pattern methods.

Findings

Achieved 90-degree beam switching in the far field.

Demonstrated tunable amplification and speed of switching.

Enabled transistor-like functionality in polariton systems.

Abstract

Over the past decade, spontaneously emerging patterns in the density of polaritons in semiconductor microcavities were found to be a promising candidate for all-optical switching. But recent approaches were mostly restricted to scalar fields, did not benefit from the polariton's unique spin-dependent properties, and utilized switching based on hexagon far-field patterns with 60{\deg} beam switching (i.e. in the far field the beam propagation direction is switched by 60{\deg}). Since hexagon far-field patterns are challenging, we present here an approach for a linearly polarized spinor field, that allows for a transistor-like (e.g., crucial for cascadability) orthogonal beam switching, i.e. in the far field the beam is switched by 90{\deg}. We show that switching specifications such as amplification and speed can be adjusted using only optical means.