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Ultrafast dynamics of reconfigurable mode switching of polariton condensates revealed in a tunable ZnO microcavity

Min Zhang1,*, Jiayin Fan1,*, Fangying Peng1,*, Xuekai Ma2, Changchang Huang3, Peifen Lu1, Peng Li4,5, Di Sun1, Weihang Zhou3 et al.

Stefan Schumacher2, Hui Li1,†, Feng Li4,‡, Zheng Sun1,6,7,§, and Jian Wu1,7,8

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: hli@lps.ecnu.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author: felix831204@xjtu.edu.cn
  • §Contact author: zsun@lps.ecnu.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 013219 – Published 26 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/cbh2-77lh

Abstract

Mode switching in exciton-polariton condensates represents a significant phenomenon that illustrates the non-Hermitian properties and out-of-equilibrium dynamics of exciton-polaritons. In this research, we experimentally demonstrate controllable mode switching in a tunable ZnO microrod cavity at room temperature, where increasing pump power drives the condensate from one lower polariton branch to another of higher energy. This unconventional up-switching is explained by an imbalance in the densities of the active excitonic reservoirs, governed by both loss and relaxation efficiency. Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals a several-picosecond delay between the condensates, providing direct evidence for this mechanism. Our results provide important insights into the fundamental physics of Bose-Einstein condensation in dissipative systems, enable control of polariton condensation through reservoir engineering, and open routes to room-temperature polaritonic devices exploiting nonlinear switching.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, 013219– Published 26 February, 2026
  • Received 5 June 2025
  • Revised 22 September 2025
  • Accepted 11 February 2026
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