title: Optically programmable excitonic traps.
abstract: With atomic systems, optically programmed trapping potentials have led to remarkable progress in quantum optics and quantum information science. Programmable trapping potentials could have a similar impact on studies of semiconductor quasi-particles, particularly excitons. However, engineering such potentials inside a semiconductor heterostructure remains an outstanding challenge and optical techniques have not yet achieved a high degree of control. Here, we synthesize optically programmable trapping potentials for indirect excitons of bilayer heterostructures. Our approach relies on the injection and spatial patterning of charges trapped in a field-effect device. We thereby imprint in-situ and on-demand electrostatic traps into which we optically inject cold and dense ensembles of excitons. This technique creates new opportunities to improve state-of-the-art technologies for the study of collective quantum behavior of excitons and also for the functionalisation of emerging exciton-based opto-electronic circuits.
authors.affiliation: ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Av. Carl Friedrich Gauss, num. 3, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alloing
authors.forename: Aristide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lemaître
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Galopin
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dubin
mesh_terms: D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D008027:Light; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D052898:Optical Tweezers
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