Direct observation of Dirac cones and a flatband in a honeycomb lattice for polaritons

Two-dimensional lattices of coupled micropillars etched in a planar semiconductor microcavity offer a workbench to engineer the band structure of polaritons. We report experimental studies of honeycomb lattices where the polariton low-energy dispersion is analogous to that of electrons in graphene....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2014-03, Vol.112 (11), p.116402-116402, Article 116402
Main Authors: Jacqmin, T, Carusotto, I, Sagnes, I, Abbarchi, M, Solnyshkov, D D, Malpuech, G, Galopin, E, Lemaître, A, Bloch, J, Amo, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical Sciences
Cones
Dispersions
Engineering Sciences
Environmental Sciences
Honeycomb
Honeycomb construction
Lattices
Life Sciences
Microcavities
Nonlinear Sciences
Physics
Polaritons
Sciences of the Universe
Semiconductors
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Summary:Two-dimensional lattices of coupled micropillars etched in a planar semiconductor microcavity offer a workbench to engineer the band structure of polaritons. We report experimental studies of honeycomb lattices where the polariton low-energy dispersion is analogous to that of electrons in graphene. Using energy-resolved photoluminescence, we directly observe Dirac cones, around which the dynamics of polaritons is described by the Dirac equation for massless particles. At higher energies, we observe p orbital bands, one of them with the nondispersive character of a flatband. The realization of this structure which holds massless, massive, and infinitely massive particles opens the route towards studies of the interplay of dispersion, interactions, and frustration in a novel and controlled environment.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.112.116402