32 research outputs found
Absence of Long-Range Coherence in the Parametric Emission from Photonic Wires
We analytically investigate the spatial coherence properties of the signal
emission from one-dimensional optical parametric oscillators. Because of the
reduced dimensionality, quantum fluctuations are able to destroy the long-range
phase coherence even far above threshold. The spatial decay of coherence is
exponential and, for realistic parameters of semiconductor photonic wires in
the strong exciton-photon coupling regime, it is predicted to occur on an
experimentally accessible length scale.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Probing few-particle Laughlin states of photons via correlation measurements
We propose methods to create and observe Laughlin-like states of photons in a
strongly nonlinear optical cavity. Such states of strongly interacting photons
can be prepared by pumping the cavity with a Laguerre-Gauss beam, which has a
well-defined orbital angular momentum per photon. The Laughlin-like states
appear as sharp resonances in the particle-number-resolved transmission
spectrum. Power spectrum and second-order correlation function measurements
yield unambiguous signatures of these few-particle strongly-correlated states.Comment: 11 pages including appendice
Many-body physics of a quantum fluid of exciton-polaritons in a semiconductor microcavity
Some recent results concerning nonlinear optics in semiconductor
microcavities are reviewed from the point of view of the many-body physics of
an interacting photon gas. Analogies with systems of cold atoms at thermal
equilibrium are drawn, and the peculiar behaviours due to the non-equilibrium
regime pointed out. The richness of the predicted behaviours shows the
potentialities of optical systems for the study of the physics of quantum
fluids.Comment: Proceedings of QFS2006 conference to appear on JLT
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
Unstable and stable regimes of polariton condensation
Modulational instabilities play a key role in a wide range of nonlinear
optical phenomena, leading e.g. to the formation of spatial and temporal
solitons, rogue waves and chaotic dynamics. Here we experimentally demonstrate
the existence of a modulational instability in condensates of cavity
polaritons, arising from the strong coupling of cavity photons with quantum
well excitons. For this purpose we investigate the spatiotemporal coherence
properties of polariton condensates in GaAs-based microcavities under
continuous-wave pumping. The chaotic behavior of the instability results in a
strongly reduced spatial and temporal coherence and a significantly
inhomogeneous density. Additionally we show how the instability can be tamed by
introducing a periodic potential so that condensation occurs into negative mass
states, leading to largely improved coherence and homogeneity. These results
pave the way to the exploration of long-range order in dissipative quantum
fluids of light within a controlled platform.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Keldysh Green's function approach to coherence in a non-equilibrium steady state: connecting Bose-Einstein condensation and lasing
Solid state quantum condensates often differ from previous examples of
condensates (such as Helium, ultra-cold atomic gases, and superconductors) in
that the quasiparticles condensing have relatively short lifetimes, and so as
for lasers, external pumping is required to maintain a steady state. On the
other hand, compared to lasers, the quasiparticles are generally more strongly
interacting, and therefore better able to thermalise. This leads to questions
of how to describe such non-equilibrium condensates, and their relation to
equilibrium condensates and lasers. This chapter discusses in detail how the
non-equilibrium Green's function approach can be applied to the description of
such a non-equilibrium condensate, in particular, a system of microcavity
polaritons, driven out of equilibrium by coupling to multiple baths. By
considering the steady states, and fluctuations about them, it is possible to
provide a description that relates both to equilibrium condensation and to
lasing, while at the same time, making clear the differences from simple
lasers
Quantised Vortices in an Exciton-Polariton Fluid
One of the most striking quantum effects in a low temperature interacting
Bose gas is superfluidity. First observed in liquid 4He, this phenomenon has
been intensively studied in a variety of systems for its amazing features such
as the persistence of superflows and the quantization of the angular momentum
of vortices. The achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in dilute
atomic gases provided an exceptional opportunity to observe and study
superfluidity in an extremely clean and controlled environment. In the solid
state, Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton polaritons has now been reported
several times. Polaritons are strongly interacting light-matter
quasi-particles, naturally occurring in semiconductor microcavities in the
strong coupling regime and constitute a very interesting example of composite
bosons. Even though pioneering experiments have recently addressed the
propagation of a fluid of coherent polaritons, still no conclusive evidence is
yet available of its superfluid nature. In the present Letter, we report the
observation of spontaneous formation of pinned quantised vortices in the
Bose-condensed phase of a polariton fluid by means of phase and amplitude
imaging. Theoretical insight into the possible origin of such vortices is
presented in terms of a generalised Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The implications
of our observations concerning the superfluid nature of the non-equilibrium
polariton fluid are finally discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Observation of Superfluidity of Polaritons in Semiconductor Microcavities
One of the most striking manifestations of quantum coherence in interacting
boson systems is superfluidity. Exciton-polaritons in semiconductor
microcavities are two-dimensional composite bosons predicted to behave as
particular quantum fluids. We report the observation of superfluid motion of
polaritons created by a laser in a semiconductor microcavity. Superfluidity is
investigated in terms of the Landau criterion and manifests itself as the
suppression of scattering from defects when the flow velocity is slower than
the speed of sound in the fluid. On the other hand, a Cerenkov-like wake
pattern is clearly observed when the flow velocity exceeds the speed of sound.
The experimental findings are in excellent quantitative agreement with the
predictions based on a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii theory, showing that
polaritons in microcavities constitute a very rich system for exploring the
physics of non-equilibrium quantum fluids.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
Single vortex-antivortex pair in an exciton polariton condensate
In a homogeneous two-dimensional system at non-zero temperature, although
there can be no ordering of infinite range, a superfluid phase is predicted for
a Bose liquid. The stabilization of phase in this superfluid regime is achieved
by the formation of bound vortex-antivortex pairs. It is believed that several
different systems share this common behaviour, when the parameter describing
their ordered state has two degrees of freedom, and the theory has been tested
for some of them. However, there has been no direct experimental observation of
the phase stabilization mechanism by a bound pair. Here we present an
experimental technique that can identify a single vortex-antivortex pair in a
two-dimensional exciton polariton condensate. The pair is generated by the
inhomogeneous pumping spot profile, and is revealed in the time-integrated
phase maps acquired using Michelson interferometry, which show that the
condensate phase is only locally disturbed. Numerical modelling based on open
dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation suggests that the pair evolution is quite
different in this non-equilibrium system compared to atomic condensates. Our
results demonstrate that the exciton polariton condensate is a unique system
for studying two-dimensional superfluidity in a previously inaccessible regime