Polariton lasing by exciton-electron scattering in semiconductor microcavities

Abstract

The relaxation bottleneck present in the dispersion relation of exciton polaritons in semiconductor microcavities has prevented the realization of low threshold lasing based on exciton-polariton condensation. Here we show theoretically that the introduction of a cold electron gas into such structures induces efficient electron-polariton scattering. This process allows the condensation of the polaritons accumulated at the bottleneck to the final emitting state with a transition time of a few picoseconds, opening the way to a new generation of low-threshold light-emitting devices.