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Voltage-Controlled Switching of Strong Light-Matter Interactions using Liquid Crystals
Manuel Hertzog1, Per Rudquist2, James A Hutchison3
1Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Kemigården 4, 412 96, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|November 21, 2017
Summary
Researchers electrically controlled light-matter interactions by orienting liquid crystals. This technique enhanced vibrational polariton states, demonstrating a 1.78 switching ratio for Rabi splitting and verifying theoretical models.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Quantum Optics
Background:
- Strong light-matter coupling is crucial for developing advanced optical devices.
- Vibrational hybrid states, or vibropolaritons, offer unique properties for light manipulation.
- Controlling these states often requires complex experimental setups or specific material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate electrical control over the coupling strength of vibrational light-matter hybrid states.
- To investigate the effect of molecular orientation in liquid crystals on vibropolaritonic properties.
- To achieve electrical switching of Rabi splitting and verify theoretical models of strong coupling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a nematic liquid crystal whose orientation was controlled via an external electric voltage.
- Coupled the C-Nstr vibration of the liquid crystal molecule to a cavity mode.
- Employed Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to probe the vibropolaritonic states.
Main Results:
- Achieved fine control over coupling strength by switching liquid crystal orientation between orthogonal directions.
- Demonstrated electrical switching of Rabi splitting with a switching ratio of 1.78.
- Observed a 41% increase in Rabi splitting due to orientational order compared to an isotropic state.
Conclusions:
- Electrical control of molecular orientation in liquid crystals provides a versatile method for tuning light-matter interactions.
- The study confirms the significant influence of molecular alignment on Rabi splitting in the strong coupling regime.
- This work validates theoretical models by demonstrating the scalar product's role in strong coupling phenomena.
