Light Engineering of the Polariton Landscape in Semiconductor Microcavities

A Amo, S Pigeon, C Adrados, R Houdre, E Giacobino, C Ciuti, A Bramati

Published 2010-03-01Version 1

We demonstrate a method to create potential barriers with polarized light beams for polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. The form of the barriers is engineered via the real space shape of a focalised beam on the sample. Their height can be determined by the visibility of the scattering waves generated in a polariton fluid interacting with them. This technique opens up the way to the creation of dynamical potentials and defects of any shape in semiconductor microcavities.