Spatial Imaging and Control of Dark Excitons in Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Dark excitons play a vital role in exciton condensation and optical properties of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (MTMDs). Previous literature mainly focuses on the detection of the energy of the dark exciton, while spatial detection and control are equally important but are less studied. Here we report that for MTMD embedded in a semiconductor microcavity and under a uniform in-plane magnetic field the spatial distribution of the dark exciton can be probed by measuring that of the cavity photon for small exciton-exciton interaction energy. Further, we propose to realize the anomalous exciton Hall effect by exploiting spatially inhomogeneous coupling of the bright and dark excitons under a Gaussian excitation beam. This effect occurs regardless of the exciton-exciton interaction, which will strengthen the diffusion of excitons in the excitation region. These results provide an improved understanding of the excitons in MTMDs, thereby facilitating their potential practical applications.