293 research outputs found
Auger decay, Spin-exchange, and their connection to Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in Cu_2O
In view of the recent experiments of O'Hara, et al. on excitons in Cu_2O, we
examine the interconversion between the angular-momentum triplet-state excitons
and the angular-momentum singlet-state excitons by a spin-exchange process
which has been overlooked in the past. We estimate the rate of this
particle-conserving mechanism and find a substantially higher value than the
Auger process considered so far. Based on this idea, we give a possible
explanation of the recent experimental observations, and make certain
predictions, with the most important being that the singlet-state excitons in
Cu_2O is a very serious candidate for exhibiting the phenomenon of
Bose-Einstein condensation.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 1 ps figur
Comparison of Bond Character in Hydrocarbons and Fullerenes
We present a comparison of the bond polarizabilities for carbon-carbon bonds
in hydrocarbons and fullerenes, using two different models for the fullerene
Raman spectrum and the results of Raman measurements on ethane and ethylene. We
find that the polarizabilities for single bonds in fullerenes and hydrocarbons
compare well, while the double bonds in fullerenes have greater polarizability
than in ethylene.Comment: 7 pages, no figures, uses RevTeX. (To appear in Phys. Rev. B.
Fine structure of excitons in CuO
Three experimental observations on 1s-excitons in CuO are not consistent
with the picture of the exciton as a simple hydrogenic bound state: the
energies of the 1s-excitons deviate from the Rydberg formula, the total exciton
mass exceeds the sum of the electron and hole effective masses, and the
triplet-state excitons lie above the singlet. Incorporating the band structure
of the material, we calculate the corrections to this simple picture arising
from the fact that the exciton Bohr radius is comparable to the lattice
constant. By means of a self-consistent variational calculation of the total
exciton mass as well as the ground-state energy of the singlet and the
triplet-state excitons, we find excellent agreement with experiment.Comment: Revised abstract; 10 pages, revtex, 3 figures available from G.
Kavoulakis, Physics Department, University of Illinois, Urban
Theory of Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity of two-dimensional polaritons in an in-plane harmonic potential
Recent experiments have shown that it is possible to create an in-plane
harmonic potential trap for a two-dimensional (2D) gas of exciton-polaritons in
a microcavity structure, and evidence has been reported of Bose-Einstein
condensation of polaritons accumulated in this type of trap. We present here
the theory of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) and superfluidity of the exciton
polaritons in a harmonic potential trap. Along the way, we determine a general
method for defining the superfluid fraction in a 2D trap, in terms of angular
momentum representation. We show that in the continuum limit, as the trap
becomes shallower the superfluid fraction approaches the 2D Kosterlitz-Thouless
limit, while the condensate fraction approaches zero, as expected.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication by Physical review
Thermal poling induced second-order nonlinearity in femtosecond-laser- modified fused silica
Thermal poling was utilized to induce second-order nonlinearity in regions of fused silica modified by 771 nm femtosecond laser pulses. With second-harmonic microscopy, it was found that the nonlinearity in the laser-modified region was much lower than that in nonmodified regions. This is attributed to a more rigid glass network after irradiation by the femtosecond laser pulses and/or lack of mobile alkali ions. Measurement of the distribution of chemical elements in the femtosecond-laser-modified region in a soda lime glass revealed a lower level of sodium ions. © 2008 American Institute of Physics
Traces of stimulated bosonic exciton-scattering in semiconductor luminescence
We observe signatures of stimulated bosonic scattering of excitons, a
precursor of Bose-Einstein-Condensation (BEC), in the photoluminescence of
semiconductor quantum wells. The optical decay of a spinless molecule of two
excitons (biexciton) into an exciton and a photon with opposite angular momenta
is subject to bosonic enhancement in the presence of other excitons. In a spin
polarized gas of excitons the bosonic enhancement breaks the symmetry of two
equivalent decay channels leading to circularly polarized luminescence of the
biexciton with the sign opposite to the excitonic luminescence. Comparison of
experiment and many body theory proves stimulated scattering of excitons, but
excludes the presence of a fully condensed BEC-like state.Comment: 5 page
Dynamics of a polariton condensate transistor switch
We present a time-resolved study of the logical operation of a polariton
condensate transistor switch. Creating a polariton condensate (source) in a
GaAs ridge-shaped microcavity with a non-resonant pulsed laser beam, the
polariton propagation towards a collector, at the ridge edge, is controlled by
a second weak pulse (gate), located between the source and the collector. The
experimental results are interpreted in the light of simulations based on the
generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, including incoherent pumping, decay and
energy relaxation within the condensate.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Long exciton spin memory in coupled quantum wells
Spatially indirect excitons in a coupled quantum well structure were studied
by means of polarization and time resolved photoluminescence. A strong degree
of circular polarization (> 50%) in emission was achieved when the excitation
energy was tuned into resonance with the direct exciton state. The indirect
transition remained polarized several tens of nanoseconds after the pumping
laser pulse, demonstrating directly a very long relaxation time of exciton
spin. The observed spin memory effect exceeds the radiative lifetime of the
indirect excitons.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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