Polariton lattices: a solid-state platform for quantum simulations of correlated and topological states
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The development of quantum simulation lacks compact on-chip scalable platforms. The recent
demonstrations of polariton lattices in semiconductor microcavities, in combination with their
extraordinary nonlinearities, place polaritons as one of the most promising candidates to achieve
this goal. The aim of this proposal is to implement polariton lattices in semiconductor
microcavities as a photonic-based solid-state platform for quantum simulations. The
polariton platform will allow for the engineering of the lattice geometry and site-to-site hoping, state
preparation and detection in individual sites, sensitivity to magnetic fields, and scalability due to the
low value of disorder. The driven-dissipative nature of the system opens the exciting possibility of
studying out-of-equilibrium strongly correlated phases, but it also calls for new theoretical
methods. We will combine the expertise in semiconductor physics and technology of four
experimental groups and the input of three theoretical groups to push polariton nonlinearities into
the strongly interacting regime. We plan on implementing the first polariton simulators by
studying quantum correlations and the topological phases in flat bans and in the presence
of artificial gauge field acting on polaritons in 1D and 2D lattice geometries, both
experimentally and theoretically. This project will provide the first quantum simulation platform
using scalable lattices at optical wavelengths.
demonstrations of polariton lattices in semiconductor microcavities, in combination with their
extraordinary nonlinearities, place polaritons as one of the most promising candidates to achieve
this goal. The aim of this proposal is to implement polariton lattices in semiconductor
microcavities as a photonic-based solid-state platform for quantum simulations. The
polariton platform will allow for the engineering of the lattice geometry and site-to-site hoping, state
preparation and detection in individual sites, sensitivity to magnetic fields, and scalability due to the
low value of disorder. The driven-dissipative nature of the system opens the exciting possibility of
studying out-of-equilibrium strongly correlated phases, but it also calls for new theoretical
methods. We will combine the expertise in semiconductor physics and technology of four
experimental groups and the input of three theoretical groups to push polariton nonlinearities into
the strongly interacting regime. We plan on implementing the first polariton simulators by
studying quantum correlations and the topological phases in flat bans and in the presence
of artificial gauge field acting on polaritons in 1D and 2D lattice geometries, both
experimentally and theoretically. This project will provide the first quantum simulation platform
using scalable lattices at optical wavelengths.
Planned Impact
Our proposal has significant potential for impact over a range of time-scales in both the
academic community and industry. The latter is demonstrated by the letters of support
from three companies IBM, Hitachi and Oxford HighQ Ltd. The research proposed in the
project aims at creating the world-first polariton quantum simulator, an entirely new platform for
Quantum Simulation (the first Targeted Outcome). It will be characterized by significant photon-photon
interactions, thus enabling simulations of some of the most fundamental strongly-interacting
quantum models. One of the key features of this platform is its high degree of integration in micrometer
size semiconductor chips. It operates at optical frequencies where a wide variety of laser sources and
the best detectors for quantum measurements are available.
academic community and industry. The latter is demonstrated by the letters of support
from three companies IBM, Hitachi and Oxford HighQ Ltd. The research proposed in the
project aims at creating the world-first polariton quantum simulator, an entirely new platform for
Quantum Simulation (the first Targeted Outcome). It will be characterized by significant photon-photon
interactions, thus enabling simulations of some of the most fundamental strongly-interacting
quantum models. One of the key features of this platform is its high degree of integration in micrometer
size semiconductor chips. It operates at optical frequencies where a wide variety of laser sources and
the best detectors for quantum measurements are available.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Marzena Szymanska (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Lledó C
(2020)
A dissipative time crystal with or without Z 2 symmetry breaking
in New Journal of Physics
Juggins RT
(2018)
Coherently driven microcavity-polaritons and the question of superfluidity.
in Nature communications
Au-Yeung R
(2022)
Condensation in hybrid superconducting-cavity-microscopic-spins systems with finite-bandwidth drive
in Physical Review B
Ballarini D
(2020)
Directional Goldstone waves in polariton condensates close to equilibrium.
in Nature communications
Lledó C
(2019)
Driven Bose-Hubbard dimer under nonlocal dissipation: A bistable time crystal
in Physical Review B
Comaron P
(2018)
Dynamical Critical Exponents in Driven-Dissipative Quantum Systems.
in Physical review letters
Kuznetsov A
(2020)
Dynamically tuned arrays of polariton parametric oscillators
in Optica
Dagvadorj G
(2021)
First-order dissipative phase transition in an exciton-polariton condensate
in Physical Review B
Deuar P
(2021)
Fully Quantum Scalable Description of Driven-Dissipative Lattice Models
in PRX Quantum
Zamora A
(2020)
Kibble-Zurek Mechanism in Driven Dissipative Systems Crossing a Nonequilibrium Phase Transition.
in Physical review letters
Comaron P
(2021)
Non-equilibrium Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in driven-dissipative condensates (a)
in Europhysics Letters
Lledó C
(2022)
Polariton condensation into vortex states in the synthetic magnetic field of a strained honeycomb lattice
in SciPost Physics
Dunnett K
(2018)
Properties of the signal mode in the polariton optical parametric oscillator regime
in Physical Review B
Ferrier A
(2022)
Searching for the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang phase in microcavity polaritons
in Physical Review B
Mc Keever C
(2021)
Stable iPEPO Tensor-Network Algorithm for Dynamics of Two-Dimensional Open Quantum Lattice Models
in Physical Review X
Dagvadorj G
(2023)
Unconventional Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition in the Multicomponent Polariton System
in Physical Review Letters
Zamora A
(2020)
Vortex Dynamics in a Compact Kardar-Parisi-Zhang System.
in Physical review letters
| Description | New computational methods for driven-disspative lattice systems. |
| Exploitation Route | The methods will now be used to study a wide range of physical problems |
| Sectors | Other |