Abstract

The recent observation of exciton-photon mode splitting in the spectra of quantum wells embedded in monolithic epitaxially grown semiconductor microcavities^1,2 has been interpreted as the vacuum Rabi splitting of the exciton resonance, attesting to a strong coupling between the cavity modes and the excitons. By analogy to the quantum-electrodynamic effects observed in atomic physics inside single-mode cavities, it is thought that this strong coupling can be exploited to modify the spontaneous- emission dynamics of the excitons, thus opening the way, for example, for controlling the initiation of laser action in vertical-cavity surface-emitting microlasers and significantly lowering their threshold.

© 1995 Optical Society of America