2022/01/29 by Sitakanta Satapathy, Bin Liu, Satapathy, Sitakanta +13 · 2 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Optics (physics.optics) #Strong Light-Matter Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2201.12607
openalex publication_date 2022/01/29 · openalex created_date 2022/05/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Fluorescent proteins (FPs) have recently emerged as a serious contender for realizing ultralow threshold room temperature exciton-polariton condensation and lasing. Our contribution investigates the thermalization of FP microcavity exciton-polaritons upon optical pumping under ambient conditions. We realize polariton cooling using a new FP molecule, called mScarlet, coupled strongly to the optical modes in a Fabry Perot cavity. Interestingly, at the threshold excitation energy (fluence) of ~ 9 nJ/pulse (15.6 mJ/cm2), we observe an effective temperature, Teff ~ 350 +/- 35 K close to the lattice temperature indicative of strongly thermalized exciton-polaritons at equilibrium. This efficient thermalization results from the interplay of radiative pumping facilitated by the energetics of the lower polariton branch and the cavity Q factor. Direct evidence for dramatic switching from an equilibrium state into a metastable state is observed for the organic cavity polariton device at room temperature via deviation from the Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics at k = 0 above the threshold. Thermalized polariton gases in organic systems at equilibrium hold substantial promise for designing room temperature polaritonic circuits, switches, and lattices for analog simulation.