Polaritonics for Quantum Technology Applications

This project is aimed at development of several revolutionary new device concepts within the new interdisciplinary research area of Polaritonics, which studies interaction of light with electronic excitations in crystals. PI of this project leads an international collaborative effort in Polaritonics since 2000 coordinating three subsequent European network projects which involve over 15 universities. This collaboration has already yielded a number of spectacular discoveries including the Bose-Einstein condensation of mixed light-matter quasiparticles, features of superfluidity in crystals, spin multistability, ultralow threshold polariton lasing. Development of Polaritonics is led by theory, which predicts new effects, designes new structures and proposes new experiments. This project proposes a program of theoretical research tightly linked with an international experimental effort and aimed at bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and device applications in Polaritonics. We shall develop and realise and experimentally test several device concepts including the Aharonov-Bohm polariton interferometer and the vertical cavity coherent terahertz light source based on a polariton laser. Fabrication of these devices would manifest a technology breakthrough in opto-electronics with quantum coherent effects brought into everyday life. The new quantum light sources and logic gates are important for realisation of optical computers and enhancement of capacities of optical communication lines. Compact sources of coherent terahertz radiation have their applications in medicine (skin cancer cure), environment protection, industrial sensing, security. The Southampton university will coordinate a multinational research effort in Polaritonics, host leading experts in Polaritonics for short visits, organise a series of international workshops and closely collaborate with several industrial companies including Hitachi, Sharp, Toshiba.

Academic Impact
We expect the academic impact of this project to be very high as it addresses both fundamental problems of physics and multiple device applications. Among the fundamental phenomena in the focus of this proposal are the coherent many-body effects in bosonic gases, bosonic spin and charge transport, physics of the condensates of bosonic quasiparticles, physics of non-classical light emitters. These phenomena will govern the functionality of new opto-electronic devices (polariton devices) we propose to develop and experimentally test. This research on the forefront of quantum optics, nanophysics and spintronics is expected to strongly move forward the frontieres of our knowledge in these areas of modern physics.
Economic and Societal impacts
This project is aimed at realisation of a new generation of opto-electronic devices based on quantum properties of exciton-polaritons. This would include the vertical cavity surface emitting terahertz lasers, which have multiple applications in medicine, environment protection, communication technologies and security. The second group of polariton devices incudes the optical switches, transistors and logic elements essential for optical computation and for the information communication technologies. Finally, the non-classical light sources based on exciton-polaritons are of high importance for the quantum technologies. Polaritonics brings the quantum coherent phenomena of Bose Einstein condensation, superfluidity, weak localization, quantum complementarity to the everyday life. Altogether, the polariton devices would improve the quality of life in UK and abroad, as they are expected to positively affect such vital areas as medicine, environment protection, security, communications, computing.