Dr. Simon Betzold
Dr. Simon Betzold
University of Würzburg
Am Hubland
Dr. Simon Betzold is a tenured group leader and lecturer at the Chair of Technische Physik at the University of Würzburg, where he leads the Hybrid Polaritonics Group. His research focuses on light-matter coupled systems in semiconductor microcavities, with particular emphasis on exciton-polaritons, hybrid material platforms, and engineered photonic structures. His work combines semiconductor physics, optical spectroscopy, and nanofabrication to explore non-equilibrium quantum phenomena and to develop controllable and functional polaritonic devices, including electrically driven and topological systems.
The group offers opportunities for students at all levels to work on current research topics in a collaborative and hands-on environment.
Hybrid Polaritonics and Topological Light-Matter Systems
The Hybrid Polaritonics Group, led by Dr. Simon Betzold, investigates light-matter coupled systems with a focus on controllable and functional polaritonic platforms. Our research combines semiconductor microcavities, low-dimensional materials, and engineered photonic structures to explore strong coupling, non-equilibrium quantum dynamics, and emerging topological effects. By integrating optical, electrical, and structural control, we aim to develop next-generation photonic devices and scalable quantum-optical platforms.
Polaritonics and Quantum Fluids of Light
High-quality semiconductor microcavities with embedded quantum wells enable the study of strong coupling between excitons and photons, giving rise to hybrid quasiparticles known as exciton-polaritons. Their energy-momentum dispersion can be accessed directly via angle-resolved spectroscopy. Due to their bosonic nature, polaritons can undergo condensation at elevated temperatures and form coherent quantum states far from equilibrium. A key advantage of III-V semiconductor platforms is the possibility of both optical and electrical excitation.
Our research focuses on:
- Optically and electrically driven polariton condensation
- Coherence and non-equilibrium dynamics
- Design and realization of advanced polaritonic devices
Topological Polaritonic Systems
We investigate polaritons in engineered lattices, enabling the realization of non-trivial band structures and topological phases in photonic systems.
By tailoring coupling, geometry, and external control parameters, we explore:
- Topological edge and corner states
- Polariton transport in lattices and networks
- Higher-order topological phases
- Reconfigurable photonic structures
A central objective is to achieve dynamic control of topological properties, for example via optical excitation or electrical tuning, opening pathways toward robust and functional photonic architectures.
Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Systems
Organic semiconductors provide highly stable excitons and enable polaritonic effects at room temperature, while inorganic semiconductor microcavities offer excellent control over material and device properties. We combine both material classes to create hybrid systems that unite:
- Strong exciton stability and high-temperature operation
- Electrical control and device integration
- Efficient light emission and gain
Our long-term goal is the realization of room-temperature, electrically driven polariton lasers and novel hybrid photonic devices.
Contact Us. We welcome inquiries from prospective students, postdocs, academic collaborators, and industry partners.
For more information on our research, opportunities, or to schedule a visit to our lab, please contact us via email, phone, or social media.
Join Us. We continuously offer Bachelor, Master, and PhD projects in the areas of polaritonics, semiconductor photonics, and topological light-matter systems. Our projects involve experimental work in modern optical laboratories, nanofabrication, and data analysis. Students are integrated into ongoing research projects and work closely with researchers in the group.
Current topics include:
- Light-controlled topological states in polariton lattices: Dynamic shaping of topological edge and corner states using structured optical excitation, enabling reconfigurable photonic routing and controllable potential landscapes.
- Electrically tunable dipolaritons: Investigation of dipolariton systems in coupled quantum wells, where applied electric fields allow control over interactions, dipole moments, and conditions for polariton lasing
- Higher-order topological polaritonic systems: Experimental realization of quadrupole higher-order topological insulators with corner-localized states in engineered photonic lattices.
We are currently offering the following Bachelor and Master theses:
Optische Charakterisierung hochreflektierender Spiegel
Experimentelle Realisierung von Quadrupol Higher-Order Topological Insulators
Elektrisch steuerbare Dipolaritonen zur Kontrolle von Wechselwirkung & Lasing
Lichtkontrollierte topologische Randzustände in Polaritongittern
| WiSe2526 | Seminar Advanced Seminar Physics: Advanced Topics on Experimental Physics |
| Seminar Advanced Seminar Quantum Engineering: Advanced Topics on Nanosciences | |
| Lab course F-Praktikum: Bell's inequality | |
| Lab course Physikalisches Praktikum im Nebenfach Physik | |
| SoSe25 | Lab course F-Praktikum: Bell's inequality |
| Lab course Physikalisches Praktikum im Nebenfach Physik | |
| WiSe24/25 | Exercise class Optik- und Quantenphysik 1 |
| Lab course F-Praktikum: Optical Spectroscopy | |
| Lab course Physikalisches Praktikum im Nebenfach Physik | |
| SoSe24 | Lab course F-Praktikum: Optical Spectroscopy |
| Lab course Physikalisches Praktikum im Nebenfach Physik | |
| WiSe23/24 | Lab course F-Praktikum: Optical Spectroscopy |
| WiSe21/22 | Exercise class Optical Properties of Semiconductor Nanostructures |
| Lab course Physikalisches Praktikum im Nebenfach Physik | |
| Lab course F-Praktikum: Optical Spectroscopy | |
| SoSe21 | Lab course Physikalisches Praktikum im Nebenfach Physik |
Embedding monolayers of 2D materials in directly sputtered monolithic cavities for strong light-matter coupling
M. Federolf, S. Sahoo, A. Arora, A. Patra, M. Emmerling, M. Kamp, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, S. Betzold, and S. Höfling
Opt. Mater. Express 16, 84 (2026), DOI: 10.1364/OME.576174
Artificial gauge fields and dimensions in a polariton hofstadter ladder
S. Widmann, J. Bellmann, J. Düreth, S. Dam, C. G. Mayer, P. Gagel, S. Betzold, M. Emmerling, S. Mandal, R. Banerjee, T. C. H. Liew, R. Thomale, S. Höfling, and S. Klembt
Nat. Commun. 17, 1586 (2026), DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-68530-0
Dynamically reconfigurable topological routing in nonlinear photonic systems
S. Wong, S. Betzold, S. Höfling, and A. Cerjan
Light Sci. Appl. 15, 46 (2026), DOI: 10.1038/s41377-025-02108-1
Enwrapped Perylene Bisimide Enables Room Temperature Polariton Lasing and Photonic Lattices
D. Horneber, J. Düreth, T. Schembri, S. Betzold, M. Stolte, S. Höfling, F. Würthner, and S. Klembt
Adv. Opt. Mater. (2025), DOI: 10.1002/adom.202402617
Topological Optical Waveguiding of Exciton‐Polariton Condensates
J. Beierlein, O. A. Egorov, P. Gagel, T. H. Harder, A. Wolf, M. Emmerling, S. Betzold, F. Jabeen, L. Ma, S. Höfling, U. Peschel, and S. Klembt
Ann. Phys. (Berl.) (2024), DOI: 10.1002/andp.202400229
Dirac Cones and Room Temperature Polariton Lasing Evidenced in an Organic Honeycomb Lattice
S. Betzold, J. Düreth, M. Dusel, M. Emmerling, A. Bieganowska, J. Ohmer, U. Fischer, S. Höfling, and S. Klembt
Adv. Sci., e2400672 (2024), DOI: 10.1002/advs.202400672
An Electrically Pumped Topological Polariton Laser
P. Gagel, O. A. Egorov, F. Dzimira, J. Beierlein, M. Emmerling, A. Wolf, F. Jabeen, S. Betzold, U. Peschel, S. Höfling, C. Schneider, and S. Klembt
Nano Lett. (2024), DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00958
Polarized and Unpolarized Emission from a Single Emitter in a Bullseye Resonator
G. Peniakov, Q. Buchinger, M. Helal, S. Betzold, Y. Reum, M. B. Rota, G. Ronco, M. Beccaceci, T. M. Krieger, S. F. C. Da Silva, A. Rastelli, R. Trotta, A. Pfenning, S. Höfling, and T. Huber-Loyola
Laser Photonics Rev. (2024), DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202300835
Optical properties of circular Bragg gratings with labyrinth geometry to enable electrical contacts
Q. Buchinger, S. Betzold, S. Höfling, and T. Huber-Loyola
Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 111110 (2023), DOI: 10.1063/5.0136715
Electro-optical Switching of a Topological Polariton Laser
P. Gagel, T. H. Harder, S. Betzold, O. A. Egorov, J. Beierlein, H. Suchomel, M. Emmerling, A. Wolf, U. Peschel, S. Höfling, C. Schneider, and S. Klembt
ACS Photonics 9, 405 (2022), DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.1c01605
Room-Temperature Topological Polariton Laser in an Organic Lattice
M. Dusel, S. Betzold, T. H. Harder, M. Emmerling, J. Beierlein, J. Ohmer, U. Fischer, R. Thomale, C. Schneider, S. Höfling, and S. Klembt
Nano Lett. 21, 6398 (2021), DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00661
Purcell-Enhanced Single Photon Source Based on a Deterministically Placed WSe2 Monolayer Quantum Dot in a Circular Bragg Grating Cavity
O. Iff, Q. Buchinger, M. Moczała-Dusanowska, M. Kamp, S. Betzold, M. Davanço, K. Srinivasan, S. Tongay, C. Antón-Solanas, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Nano Lett. 21, 4715 (2021), DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00978
Hyperspectral study of the coupling between trions in WSe 2 monolayers to a circular Bragg grating cavity
O. Iff, M. Davanço, S. Betzold, M. Moczała-Dusanowska, M. Wurdack, M. Emmerling, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
C. R. Phys. 22, 1 (2021), DOI: 10.5802/crphys.76
Coherence and Interaction in Confined Room-Temperature Polariton Condensates with Frenkel Excitons
S. Betzold, M. Dusel, O. Kyriienko, C. P. Dietrich, S. Klembt, J. Ohmer, U. Fischer, I. A. Shelykh, C. Schneider, and S. Höfling
ACS Photonics 7, 384 (2020), DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.9b01300
Room temperature organic exciton-polariton condensate in a lattice
M. Dusel, S. Betzold, O. A. Egorov, S. Klembt, J. Ohmer, U. Fischer, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Nat. Commun. 11, 2863 (2020), DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16656-0
Optomechanical tuning of the polarization properties of micropillar cavity systems with embedded quantum dots
S. Gerhardt, M. Moczała-Dusanowska, Ł. Dusanowski, T. Huber, S. Betzold, J. Martín-Sánchez, R. Trotta, A. Predojević, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Phys. Rev. B 101, 245308 (2020), DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.101.245308
Spatio-temporal coherence in vertically emitting GaAs-based electrically driven polariton lasers
H. Suchomel, M. Klaas, S. Betzold, P. Gagel, J. Beierlein, S. Klembt, C. Schneider, and S. Höfling
Appl. Phys. Lett. 116, 171103 (2020), DOI: 10.1063/5.0007456
Polarization-dependent light-matter coupling and highly indistinguishable resonant fluorescence photons from quantum dot-micropillar cavities with elliptical cross section
S. Gerhardt, M. Deppisch, S. Betzold, T. H. Harder, T. C. H. Liew, A. Predojević, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Phys. Rev. B 100, 115305 (2019), DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.100.115305
Nonresonant spin selection methods and polarization control in exciton-polariton condensates
M. Klaas, O. A. Egorov, T. C. H. Liew, A. V. Nalitov, V. Marković, H. Suchomel, T. H. Harder, S. Betzold, E. A. Ostrovskaya, A. V. Kavokin, S. Klembt, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Phys. Rev. B 99, 115303 (2019), DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.99.115303
Polariton-lasing in microcavities filled with fluorescent proteins
S. Betzold, C. P. Dietrich, M. Dusel, M. Emmerling, L. Tropf, M. Schubert, N. M. Kronenberg, J. Ohmer, U. Fischer, M. C. Gather, and S. Höfling
Proc. SPIE, Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XV, 66 (2018), DOI: 10.1117/12.2292045
Tunable Light–Matter Hybridization in Open Organic Microcavities
S. Betzold, S. Herbst, A. A. P. Trichet, J. M. Smith, F. Würthner, S. Höfling, and C. P. Dietrich
ACS Photonics 5, 90 (2018), DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.7b00552
Intrinsic and environmental effects on the interference properties of a high-performance quantum dot single-photon source
S. Gerhardt, J. Iles-Smith, D. P. S. McCutcheon, Y.-M. He, S. Unsleber, S. Betzold, N. Gregersen, J. Mørk, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Phys. Rev. B 97, 195432 (2018), DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.97.195432
Deterministic coupling of quantum emitters in WSe2 monolayers to plasmonic nanocavities
O. Iff, N. Lundt, S. Betzold, L. N. Tripathi, M. Emmerling, S. Tongay, Y. J. Lee, S.-H. Kwon, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Opt. Express 26, 25944 (2018), DOI: 10.1364/OE.26.025944
Spontaneous Emission Enhancement in Strain-Induced WSe 2 Monolayer-Based Quantum Light Sources on Metallic Surfaces
L. N. Tripathi, O. Iff, S. Betzold, Ł. Dusanowski, M. Emmerling, K. Moon, Y. J. Lee, S.-H. Kwon, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
ACS Photonics 5, 1919 (2018), DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.7b01053
Observation of bosonic condensation in a hybrid monolayer MoSe2-GaAs microcavity
M. Waldherr, N. Lundt, M. Klaas, S. Betzold, M. Wurdack, V. Baumann, E. Estrecho, A. V. Nalitov, E. Cherotchenko, H. Cai, E. A. Ostrovskaya, A. V. Kavokin, S. Tongay, S. Klembt, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Nat. Commun. 9, 3286 (2018), DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05532-7
Exciton dynamics in solid-state green fluorescent protein
C. P. Dietrich, M. Siegert, S. Betzold, J. Ohmer, U. Fischer, and S. Höfling
Appl. Phys. Lett. 110, 43703 (2017), DOI: 10.1063/1.4974033
Three-dimensional photonic confinement in imprinted liquid crystalline pillar microcavities
M. Dusel, S. Betzold, S. Brodbeck, S. Herbst, F. Würthner, D. Friedrich, B. Hecht, S. Höfling, and C. P. Dietrich
Appl. Phys. Lett. 110, 201113 (2017), DOI: 10.1063/1.4983565
Valley polarized relaxation and upconversion luminescence from Tamm-plasmon trion–polaritons with a MoSe 2 monolayer
N. Lundt, P. Nagler, A. V. Nalitov, S. Klembt, M. Wurdack, S. Stoll, T. H. Harder, S. Betzold, V. Baumann, A. V. Kavokin, C. Schüller, T. Korn, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
2d Mater. 4, 25096 (2017), DOI: 10.1088/2053-1583/aa6ef2
Observation of macroscopic valley-polarized monolayer exciton-polaritons at room temperature
N. Lundt, S. Stoll, P. Nagler, A. V. Nalitov, S. Klembt, S. Betzold, J. Goddard, E. Frieling, A. V. Kavokin, C. Schüller, T. Korn, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Phys. Rev. B 96 (2017), DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.96.241403
Room temperature strong coupling in a semiconductor microcavity with embedded AlGaAs quantum wells designed for polariton lasing
H. Suchomel, S. Kreutzer, M. Jörg, S. Brodbeck, M. Pieczarka, S. Betzold, C. P. Dietrich, G. Sęk, C. Schneider, and S. Höfling
Opt. Express 25, 24816 (2017), DOI: 10.1364/OE.25.024816
Impact of exsitu rapid thermal annealing on magneto-optical properties and oscillator strength of In(Ga)As quantum dots
T. Braun, S. Betzold, N. Lundt, M. Kamp, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Phys. Rev. B 93, 155307 (2016), DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.93.155307
Room-temperature Tamm-plasmon exciton-polaritons with a WSe2 monolayer
N. Lundt, S. Klembt, E. Cherotchenko, S. Betzold, O. Iff, A. V. Nalitov, M. Klaas, C. P. Dietrich, A. V. Kavokin, S. Höfling, and C. Schneider
Nat. Commun. 7, 13328 (2016), DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13328
