Nonlinear emission properties of an optically anisotropic GaN-based microcavity

The pronounced optical in-plane anisotropy of a suitably designed nonpolar GaN-based microcavity, mainly inherited from the valence-band complexity of wurtzite semiconductors, allows the coexistence of two different light-matter coupling regimes along orthogonal polarization planes. When increasing the excitation power density, a transition to a nonlinear coherent emission is observed under nonresonant optical pumping for both polarization directions at carrier densities remaining well below the exciton-saturation level. Their differing nature is experimentally revealed by means of polarization-resolved Fourier space and near-field imaging. While one polarization direction exhibits all specificities of the strong light-matter coupling regime and features polariton lasing at high injection, the other one lacks a straightforward interpretation due to its complex coupling regime. Possible mechanisms are addressed and evaluated.