Quantum statistics of polariton parametric interactions

Abstract

Using a high-quality GaAs planar microcavity, we optically generate polariton pairs, and verify their correlations by means of time-resolved single-photon detection. We find that correlations between the different modes are consistently lower than identical mode correlations, which is attributed to the presence of uncorrelated background. We discuss a model to quantify the effects of such a background on the observed correlations. Using spectral and temporal filtering, the background can be suppressed and a change in photon statistics towards non-classical correlations is observed. These results improve our understanding of the statistics of polariton-polariton scattering and background mechanisms, and pave the way to the generation of entangled polariton pairs.