PhD Position MODELLING OF LIGHT-MATTER COUPLING IN SEMICONDUCTOR MICROCAVITIES SUMMARY

Photons trapped in a semiconductor microcavity can couple to excitons forming a special half-light half-matter state known as polariton. This project will focus on theoretical and computer modelling of microcavity polaritons and development of polariton circuits. Details of the Project Light interaction with matter is the fundamental process that is responsible for optical nonlinearities and is in the core of operation of most of the photonic devices. When placed in a microcavity containing semiconductor quantum wells, photons can interact with excitons particularly strongly, forming a special type of half-light half-matter excitations – polaritons. Microcavity polaritons possess unique dispersion characterics, combined with strong and fast nonlinear interaction – altogether leading to formation of the whole range of interesting waveforms, including self-localized excitations (solitons) [1], see Fig. 1, an