Polarization shaping of Poincare´ beams by polariton oscillations

We propose theoretically and demonstrate experimentally the generation of light pulses whose polarization varies temporally to cover selected areas of the Poincare´sphere with both tunable swirling speed and total duration(1 ps and 10 ps,respectively,in our implementation).The effect relies on the Rabi oscillations of two polariton polarized fields excited by two counter-polarized and delayed pulses.The superposition of the oscillating fields result in the precession of the Stokes vector of the emitted light while polariton lifetime imbalance results in its drift from a circle of controllable radius on the Poincare´sphere to a single point at long times.The positioning of the initial circle and final point allows to engineer the type of polarization spanning,including a full sweeping of the Poincare´sphere.The universality and simplicity of the scheme should allow for the deployment of time-varying full-Poincare´polarization fields in a variety of platforms,timescales,and regimes.

Shedding light on electrodeposition dynamics tracked in situ via soft X-ray coherent diffraction imaging

The in situ physicochemical analysis of nanostructured functional materials is crucial for advances in their design and production. X-ray coherent diffraction imaging （CDI） methods have recently demonstrated impressive potential for characterizing such materials with a high spatial resolution and elemental sensitivity; however, moving from the current ex situ static regime to the in situ dynamic one remains a challenge. By combining soft X-ray ptychography and single-shot keyhole CDI, we performed the first in situ spatiotemporal study on an electrodeposition process in a sealed wet environment, employed for the fabrication of oxygen-reduction catalysts, which are key components for alkaline fuel cells and metal-air batteries. The results provide the first experimental demonstration of theoretically predicted Turing-Hopf electrochemical pattern formation resulting from morphochemical coupling, adding a new dimension for the in-depth in situ characterization of electrodeposition processes in space and time.

Quantum hydrodynamics of a single particle

Semiconductor devices are strong competitors in the race for the development of quantum computational systems.In this work,we interface two semiconductor building blocks of different dimensionalities with complementary properties:(1)a quantum dot hosting a single exciton and acting as a nearly ideal single-photon emitter and(2)a quantum well in a 2D microcavity sustaining polaritons,which are known for their strong interactions and unique hydrodynamic properties,including ultrafast real-time monitoring of their propagation and phase mapping.In the present experiment,we can thus observe how the injected single particles propagate and evolve inside the microcavity,giving rise to hydrodynamic features typical of macroscopic systems despite their genuine intrinsic quantum nature.In the presence of a structural defect,we observe the celebrated quantum interference of a single particle that produces fringes reminiscent of wave propagation.While this behavior could be theoretically expected,our imaging of such an interference pattern,together with a measurement of antibunching,constitutes the first demonstration of spatial mapping of the self-interference of a single quantum particle impinging on an obstacle.