Screening nearest-neighbor interactions in networks of exciton-polariton condensates through spin orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how spin orbit coupling affects the spatial interactions between exciton-polariton condensates, proposing a method to invert the usual coupling hierarchy and alter condensate synchronization.

Contribution

It introduces a strategy to reverse the typical nearest-neighbor coupling dominance by leveraging high-momentum components and TE-TM splitting effects in microcavities.

Findings

Next-nearest-neighbor coupling can surpass nearest-neighbor coupling.

Spin orbit coupling induces distance-periodic screening of interactions.

Condensation thresholds and synchronization are significantly modified.

Abstract

We study the modification of the spatial coupling parameter between interacting ballistic exciton-polariton condensates in the presence of photonic spin orbit coupling appearing from TE-TM splitting in planar semiconductor microcavities. We propose a strategy to make the coupling strength between next-nearest-neighbours stronger than between nearest-neighbour, which inverts the conventional idea of the spatial coupling hierarchy between sites. Our strategy relies on the dominantly populated high-momentum components in the ballistic condensates which, in the presence of TE-TM splitting, lead to rapid radial precession of the polariton pseudospin. As a consequence, condensate pairs experience distance-periodic screening of their interaction strength, severely modifying their synchronization and condensation threshold solutions.