When optical materials (molecules or solid-state semiconductors) are embedded in tiny photonic boxes, known as optical microcavities, they form hybrid light-matter states known as polaritons. Most of the optical properties of polaritons under weak illumination can be understood using textbook classical optics. Now researchers from UC San Diego show that this is not the entire story: there are quantum fluctuations lurking underneath the classical signal and they reveal a great deal about the molecules in question.Quantum Physics NewsRead More