A polariton condensate transistor switch is realized through optical excitation of a microcavity ridge with two beams. The ballistically ejected polaritons from a condensate formed at the source are gated using the 20 times weaker second beam to switch on and off the flux of polaritons. In the absence of the gate beam the small built-in detuning creates a potential landscape in which ejected polaritons are channelled toward the end of the ridge where they condense. The low-loss photonlike propagation combined with strong nonlinearities associated with their excitonic component makes polariton-based transistors particularly attractive for the implementation of all-optical integrated circuits.

• Received 3 February 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.235102