Effects of Polariton Energy Renormalisation in the Microcavity Optical Parametric Oscillator

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the microcavity optical parametric oscillator, highlighting how polariton energy renormalisation affects its operation, including switching conditions and emission direction.

Contribution

It introduces a model that accounts for pump, signal, and idler contributions to polariton energy shifts, clarifying conditions for OPO activation and emission behavior.

Findings

OPO switches on at pump angles > 10 degrees

No special significance for the 'magic-angle' resonance

Signal emission is driven towards normal with increased pump power

Abstract

The CW microcavity optical parametric oscillator (OPO) state is investigated using a theoretical treatment which includes the contributions of the pump, signal and idler populations to the renormalisation of the polariton energies (the `blue-shift'). The theory predicts the pumping conditions under which the OPO switches on, showing that a pump angle > 10 degrees is required, but there is no particular significance to the `magic-angle' where pump, signal and idler are all on resonance. The signal and idler renormalisation contributions also causes the signal emission to be driven towards the normal direction as the pump power increases above threshold.