Optical diode based on exciton-polaritons

We propose theoretically an optical diode based on exciton-polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. A flow of polaritons in the bistable regime is used to send signals through an asymmetric fixed potential that favours the bridging of particles in one direction. Through dynamic modelling of the coherent polariton field, we demonstrate the characteristics of an ideal diode, namely, that the forward signal is fully transmitted while the transmission in the reverse direction tends to zero, without any additional external control. Moreover, the system proves to be robust to the presence of disorder, intrinsic to microcavities, and can function at gigahertz repetition rates. (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.