Magnetic control of an exciton-polariton condensate in a van der Waals magnet

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates magnetically tunable exciton-polariton condensation in a van der Waals magnet, enabling magnetic control over quantum light sources with potential for spin-based quantum applications.

Contribution

It introduces the first demonstration of magnetic control of exciton-polariton condensates in a van der Waals magnet, linking spin order to polariton properties.

Findings

Observation of polariton condensation in CrSBr microwires

Spectral narrowing and increased emission intensity at condensation

Energy of the condensate shifts by up to 10.5 meV with magnetic field

Abstract

Quasiparticle condensates are among the most spectacular solid-state manifestations of quantum physics. Coupling macroscopic real-space wave functions to additional degrees of freedom, such as the electron spin, would add valuable control knobs for quantum applications. While creating spin-carrying superconducting condensates has attracted enormous attention, man-made condensates of light-matter hybrids known as exciton-polaritons have lacked an analogous spin-based perspective. Here we open a new door by demonstrating magnetically tunable exciton-polariton condensation in the van der Waals magnet CrSBr. Under photoexcitation, CrSBr microwires embedded in an optical cavity show the hallmarks of polariton condensation: a dramatic increase of the emission intensity from an excited laterally confined polariton state by multiple orders of magnitude, spectral narrowing of the emission line, and an intriguing continuous shift of the peak energy. Interferometry evidences an increase in spatial and temporal coherence. Remarkably, the energy of the condensate can be tuned by up to 10.5 meV by an external magnetic field, owing to the strong coupling between the spin order and excitonic correlation. Our results establish CrSBr microcavities as a powerful platform for exploring magnetic control of polariton condensates and mark a significant step toward spin-controlled coherent quantum light sources.