Supersolid light in a semiconductor microcavity

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Authors: J. L. Figueiredo, J. T. Mendonça, Hugo Terças
Cited by: 1
References: 45

Abstract

Supersolidity - simultaneous superfluid flow and crystalline order - has been realized in quantum atomic systems but remains unexplored in purely photonic platforms operating at weak light-matter coupling. We predict a supersolid phase of light in a plasma-filled optical microcavity, where photons acquire effective mass and interact via nonlocal, plasma-mediated nonlinearities. By deriving a Gross-Pitaevskii equation with a tunable photon-photon interaction kernel, we show that under coherent driving the cavity light field can spontaneously crystallize into a supersolid lattice via modulational instability. Crucially, this supersolid arises from a weak photon-electron coupling enabled by virtual electronic transitions, and it does not require hybrid polariton formation. Using doped semiconductor microcavities, we identify feasible conditions (electron densities $\sim 10^{10}- 10^{11}~\mathrm{cm}^{-2}$ and optical intensities $\sim 10^{2}-10^{4}~\mathrm{W/cm}^{2}$) for experimental realization. This work establishes plasmonic cavities as a platform for correlated photonic matter with emergent quantum order.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Strong Light-Matter Interactions Photonic Crystals and Applications Silicon Nanostructures and Photoluminescence

Publication details

Journal / source
Physical Review A
Publisher
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume
113
Issue
3
Publication date
25 February 2026
Language
EN