Seminar of Physics of Wrocław University of Technology
PWr, bud. A1, sala 322
Liquid Crystal Microcavities: A Versatile Platform for Engineering Photonic Spin-Orbit Coupling
dr inż. Piotr Kapuściński
Wydział Fizyki, Uniwersytet Warszawski
Photonic spin-orbit coupling (SOC) enables unique functionalities in photonic systems by drawing an analogy between the quantum mechanical description of spin-orbit interactions in electronic systems and synthetic Hamiltonians governing electromagnetic wave propagation in structured media. Liquid crystal microcavities (LCMCs) provide a highly tunable platform for engineering photonic SOC, allowing access to phenomena traditionally associated with electronic systems, such as the spin Hall effect and the emergence of a persistent spin helix. In this talk, I will discuss how the dynamic response of liquid crystals enables tunable cavity modes, how birefringence enhances SOC, and how Rashba-Dresselhaus SOC emerges in this system. I will present our recent work leveraging the tunability of LCMCs and their engineered SOC to demonstrate polariton condensate supersolidity, photonic zitterbewegung, and tunable photonic lattices and potentials.
