Platform for electrically pumped polariton simulators and topological lasers

Abstract

Two-dimensional electronic materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalgenides feature unique electrical and optical properties due to the conspirative effect of band structure, orbital coupling, and crystal symmetry. Synthetic matter, as accomplished by artificial lattice arrangements of cold atoms, molecules, electron patterning, and optical cavities, has emerged to provide manifold intriguing frameworks to likewise realize such scenarios. Exciton-polaritons have recently been added to the list of promising candidates for the emulation of system Hamiltonians on a semiconductor platform, offering versatile tools to engineer the potential landscape and to access the non-linear electro-optical regime. In this work, we introduce an electronically driven square and honeycomb lattice of exciton-polaritons, paving the way towards real world devices based on polariton lattices for on-chip applications. Our platform exhibits laser-like emission from high-symmetry points under direct current injection, hinting at the prospect of electrically driven polariton lasers with possibly topologically non-trivial properties.