Aharonov-Bohm caging in spin-orbit coupled exciton-polariton lattices

Department of Physics, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology - Xi'an 710021, China

Received: 30 November 2024
Accepted: 2 April 2025

Abstract

We study the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) caging effect in rhombic exciton-polariton lattices, with the Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (RDSOC) in acting as a synthetic gauge field. The effective magnetic flux through each plaquette is controlled by the orientation of the RDSOC and geometry of the rhombic lattice. The results show that the interplay of lattice geometry and the RDSOC will dramatically influence the energy band structure, furthermore, determining the transportation properties of exciton-polariton condensates. Non-Hermitian effects, which arise from the polariton intrinsic loss mechanism, on the AB caging is also discussed in detail. Moreover, the effect of disorder on the dynamics of AB caging is investigated, and we find that the disorder will lead to the inverse Anderson localization. We propose that using the AB caging effect allows to trap and steer the propagation of polaritons in a given parameter regime. Considering the specific example of a photonic liquid crystal microcavity to achieve our theoretical predictions, the AB caging could be switched on and off by applying an external voltage.