Würzburg Researchers Transfer Quantum Hall Effects to Hybrid Light-Matter System

Researchers at the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat in Würzburg have successfully transferred the topological quantum Hall and spin Hall effects to a hybrid light-matter system using polaritons. This breakthrough, led by Professor Sebastian Klembt, enables new opportunities for optical information processing. The study, published in Nature Communications, involved engineering gallium arsenide into micropillars, facilitating unique light interactions and establishing an optical analogue of the quantum spin Hall effect.

Published Mar 29, 2026

Researchers at the Würzburg site of the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat have achieved a significant milestone by transferring the topological quantum Hall and spin Hall effects to a hybrid light-matter system using polaritons. Led by Professor Sebastian Klembt, the team engineered gallium arsenide into elliptically shaped micropillars to enable the interaction of photons and excitons.

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This interaction leads to the formation of hybrid polaritons and creates an artificial gauge field influencing their behavior. The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest applications in topological polariton lasers and optical information processing, allowing light's circular polarization to act as a pseudospin. The research forms part of an ongoing exploration of quantum materials at the ctd.qmat cluster.