Exciton-Polariton Topological Insulator with an Array of Magnetic Dots

Abstract

Recently, there have been several proposals on exciton-polariton topological insulators, most of which have required strong external magnetic fields induced by bulky superconducting coils. We propose an alternative design for a polariton topological insulator, where excitons are in the proximity of an addi- tional layer of a ferromagnetic material, with a predefined magnetic moment located between the pillars of the cavity. Our design supports a variety of topological phases and transitions between Chern numbers ±2 and ±1 by varying either the magnetic moment of the ferromagnetic material or the spin-orbit cou- pling between different spin projections, thus enabling compact polariton devices harnessing switchable topological edge modes. © 2019 American Physical Society