Magneto-optical induced supermode switching in quantum fluids of light

The spatial modulation of light via magneto-optical control is inherently inefficient due to the insensitivity of photons to external electromagnetic fields. The authors resort to strong coupling between semimagnetic matter and light in microcavities to modulate the spatial properties of the emitted light with an external magnetic field. The insensitivity of photons towards external magnetic fields forms one of the hardest barriers against efficient magneto-optical control, aiming at modulating the polarization state of light. However, there is even scarcer evidence of magneto-optical effects that can spatially modulate light. Here, we demonstrate the latter by exploiting strongly coupled states of semimagnetic matter and light in planar semiconductor microcavities. We nonresonantly excite two spatially adjacent exciton-polariton condensates which, through inherent ballistic near field coupling mechanism, spontaneously synchronise into a dissipative quantum fluidic supermode of definite parity. Applying a magnetic field along the optical axis, we continuously adjust the light-matter composition of the condensate exciton-polaritons, inducing a supermode switch into a higher order mode of opposite parity. Our findings set the ground towards magnetic spatial modulation of nonlinear light.

Automated summary

Spatial modulation of light via magneto-optical control is inefficient due to the insensitivity of photons to external magnetic fields. In this study, the authors demonstrate a method to modulate the spatial properties of light by strong coupling between semimagnetic matter and light in microcavities. They achieve this by exciting adjacent exciton-polariton condensates, which synchronously switch into a higher order mode with opposite parity under a magnetic field. This finding paves the way for magnetic spatial modulation of nonlinear light.