  The transmission of a pump laser resonant with the lower polariton branch of
a semiconductor microcavity is shown to be highly dependent on the degree of
circular polarization of the pump. Spin dependent anisotropy of
polariton-polariton interactions allows the internal polarization to be
controlled by varying the pump power. The formation of spatial patterns, spin
rings with high degree of circular polarization, arising as a result of
polarization bistability, is observed. A phenomenological model based on spin
dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equations provides a good description of the
experimental results. Inclusion of interactions with the incoherent exciton
reservoir, which provides spin-independent blueshifts of the polariton modes,
is found to be essential.
