Exciting Polaritons with Quantum Light

Abstract

We discuss the excitation of polaritons - strongly coupled states of light and matter - by quantum light, instead of the usual laser or thermal excitation. As one illustration of the new horizons thus opened, we introduce "Mollow spectroscopy" - a theoretical concept for a spectroscopic technique that consists of scanning the output of resonance fluorescence onto an optical target - from which weak nonlinearities can be read with high precision even in strongly dissipative environments.