256 research outputs found
Observation of long-lived polariton states in semiconductor microcavities across the parametric threshold
The excitation spectrum around the pump-only stationary state of a polariton
optical parametric oscillator (OPO) in semiconductor microcavities is
investigated by time-resolved photoluminescence. The response to a weak pulsed
perturbation in the vicinity of the idler mode is directly related to the
lifetime of the elementary excitations. A dramatic increase of the lifetime is
observed for a pump intensity approaching and exceeding the OPO threshold. The
observations can be explained in terms of a critical slowing down of the
dynamics upon approaching the threshold and the following onset of the soft
Goldstone mode
Dynamics of formation and decay of coherence in a polariton condensate
We study the dynamics of formation and decay of a condensate of microcavity
polaritons. We investigate the relationship between the number of particles,
the emission's linewidth and its degree of linear polarization which serves as
the order parameter. Tracking the condensate's formation, we show that, even
when interactions are negligible, coherence is not determined only by
occupation of the ground state. As a result of the competition between the
coherent and thermal fractions of the condensate, the highest coherence is
obtained some time after the particle number has reached its maximum
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
Energy relaxation of exciton-polariton condensates in quasi-1D microcavities
We present a time-resolved study of energy relaxation and trapping dynamics
of polariton condensates in a semiconductor microcavity ridge. The combination
of two non-resonant, pulsed laser sources in a GaAs ridge-shaped microcavity
gives rise to profuse quantum phenomena where the repulsive potentials created
by the lasers allow the modulation and control of the polariton flow. We
analyze in detail the dependence of the dynamics on the power of both lasers
and determine the optimum conditions for realizing an all-optical polariton
condensate transistor switch. The experimental results are interpreted in the
light of simulations based on a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation,
including incoherent pumping, decay and energy relaxation within the
condensate.Comment: 15 pages, 20 figure
Self-consistent model for ambipolar tunneling in quantum-well systems
We present a self-consistent approach to describe ambipolar tunneling in
asymmetrical double quantum wells under steady-state excitation and extend the
results to the case of tunneling from a near-surface quantum well to surface
states. The results of the model compare very well with the behavior observed
in photoluminescence experiments in asymmetric double quantum
wells and in near-surface single quantum wells.Comment: 10 pages, REVTeX 3.
Spin Selective Filtering of Polariton Condensate Flow
Spin-selective spatial filtering of propagating polariton condensates, using
a controllable spin-dependent gating barrier, in a one-dimensional
semiconductor microcavity ridge waveguide is reported. A nonresonant laser beam
provides the source of propagating polaritons while a second circularly
polarized weak beam imprints a spin dependent potential barrier, which gates
the polariton flow and generates polariton spin currents. A complete spin-based
control over the blocked and transmitted polaritons is obtained by varying the
gate polarization.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Optical control of spin textures in quasi-one-dimensional polariton condensates
We investigate, through polarization-resolved spectroscopy, the spin
transport by propagating polariton condensates in a quasi one-dimensional
microcavity ridge along macroscopic distances. Under circularly polarized,
continuous-wave, non-resonant excitation, a sinusoidal precession of the spin
in real space is observed, whose phase depends on the emission energy. The
experiments are compared with simulations of the spinor-polariton condensate
dynamics based on a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, modified to account
for incoherent pumping, decay and energy relaxation within the condensate.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
- …