Abstract

The use of monolithic epitaxially grown GaAs/AlAs Bragg mirrors has permitted the fabrication of relatively high finesse planar semiconductor microcavities. When quantum wells are embedded in such microcavities their spectra display the exciton-photon mode splitting, attesting to a strong coupling between the cavity modes and the excitons, while the dynamics of their spontaneous emission exhibit quantum electrodynamic effects such as Rabi oscillations¹ or a strong modification of the spontaneous emission decay rate of the individual cavity polaritons.² These dynamic effects, however, are only observed under resonant excitation and at low temperatures, where excitons can be excited coherently and their emission remains directional. Under nonresonant excitation, there is essentially no significant variation of the spontaneous emission rate of the cavity polaritons.

© 1997 Optical Society of America