Talbot Effect for Exciton Polaritons

T. Gao, E. Estrecho, G. Li, O. A. Egorov, X. Ma, K. Winkler, M. Kamp, C. Schneider, S. Höfling, A. G. Truscott, E. A. Ostrovskaya

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Abstract

We demonstrate, experimentally and theoretically, a Talbot effect for hybrid light-matter waves - an exciton-polariton condensate formed in a semiconductor microcavity with embedded quantum wells. The characteristic "Talbot carpet" is produced by loading the exciton-polariton condensate into a microstructured one-dimensional periodic array of mesa traps, which creates an array of phase-locked sources for coherent polariton flow in the plane of the quantum wells. The spatial distribution of the Talbot fringes outside the mesas mimics the near-field diffraction of a monochromatic wave on a periodic amplitude and phase grating with the grating period comparable to the wavelength. Despite the lossy nature of the polariton system, the Talbot pattern persists for distances exceeding the size of the mesas by an order of magnitude. Thus, our experiment demonstrates efficient shaping of the two-dimensional flow of coherent exciton polaritons by a one-dimensional "flat lens.

Original languageEnglish
Article number097403
Number of pages7
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume117
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Aug 2016
Externally publishedYes
  • Talbot effect for exciton-polaritons

    Gao, T., Estrecho, E., Li, G., Egorov, O. A., Ma, X., Winkler, K., Kamp, M., Schneider, C., Höfling, S., Truscott, A. G. & Ostrovskaya, E. A., 29 Aug 2016, Nonlinear Photonics, NP 2016. Optical Society of America (OSA), p. 1-3 3 p.

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