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Indirect Excitons: Fundamental Physics and Applications

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Indirect excitons are bosonic quasi-particles in semiconductors with unique properties: they have long lifetime and spin-relaxation time, can travel over large distances before recombination, can be cooled down to low temperatures and form a quantum gas, and can be controlled by voltage in-situ. Due to these properties, they form a model system both for the studies of fundamental properties of light and matter and for the development of conceptually new excitonic devices. Our consortium is composed of 9 strong academic groups in Europe and USA, supported by 4 industrial partners. It brings together the critical mass of the human resources, research expertise, experience, and facilities required to achieve a decisive breakthrough in the interdisciplinary field of indirect excitons, on the boundary of electronics, optics, photonics, and spintronics. We propose to explore the potential of indirect excitons (1) for the studies of fundamental physics of cold bosons in solid state materials, (2) for the development of novel principles for optoelectronic devices, and (3) for the training of a new generation of researchers. We propose a multidisciplinary training program aimed at formation of young researchers with solid background in physics of light-matter coupling and quantum effects in solid state, experts in excitonic systems able to design, process, and optimize the future excitonic devices for practical applications. The training in academic institutes will be combined with secondments to the major optoelectronic industries.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU-funded project has brought together distinguished research groups active in the fields of cold atoms, indirect excitons, and semiconductor microcavities. They are conveying their expertise and experience to a new generation of physicists.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Excitons in semiconductor materials are bound by the attractive force between negatively charged electrons and positively charged holes. Because of this force, these quasiparticles tend to recombine fast. However, their lifetime can be increased to a few microseconds by confining electrons and holes in separate layers of material, forming what are called indirect excitons.

Indirect excitons can then be cooled to low temperatures and form a quantum gas. On the other hand, they can be controlled by voltage and provide the basic building blocks of new excitonic devices. The main objective of the 'Indirect excitons: Fundamental physics and applications' (http://indexitn.eu (INDEX)) project is to embed young researchers in an interdisciplinary framework of research and development (R&D) activities in this emerging field.

INDEX partners provide a unique platform for training a new generation of physicists to contribute with ideas and concepts to the development of a truly innovative technology. The active participation of four industrial partners gives added value to the training. Moreover, the synergy between partners from academia and the private sector contributes to expediting research findings, paving the way to market maturity.

So far, nine PhD students and three postdoctoral researchers have been recruited and received training in the INDEX partners' laboratories. They have been provided with theoretical background and experimental skills in the latest developments in the condensation of excitons and spin transport of spatially indirect excitons. This knowledge serves as the starting point to explore new physics of excitons confined in electro-optical traps.

In addition to theoretical and experimental work on excitons, INDEX fellows have also devoted efforts to the conceptual design of excitonic devices. The ultimate attainment of the INDEX project's R&D targets will make a substantial contribution to increased European competitiveness in one of the most promising new technological fields.