Gain-Induced Trapping of Microcavity Exciton Polariton Condensates

Journal Article · Fri Mar 26 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.104.126403· OSTI ID:21386876

Roumpos, Georgios; Nitsche, Wolfgang H ^[1]; Hoefling, Sven; Forchel, Alfred ^[2]; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa ^[1]

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1. E. L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305 (United States)
2. Technische Physik, University of Wuerzburg Wilhelm-Conrad-Roentgen-Research Center for Complex Material Systems (Germany)

We have performed real and momentum space spectroscopy of exciton polariton condensates in a GaAs-based microcavity under nonresonant excitation with an intensity-stabilized laser. An effective trapping mechanism is revealed, which is due to the stimulated scattering gain inside the finite excitation spot combined with the short lifetime. We observe several quantized modes while the lowest state shows Heisenberg-limited real and momentum space distributions. The experimental findings are qualitatively reproduced by an open dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation model.

• OSTI ID: 21386876
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 104, Issue 12; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.126403; (c) 2010 The American Physical Society; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CONDENSATES
EXCITATION
EXCITONS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
LASERS
LIFETIME
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
POTENTIALS
SCATTERING
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPECTROSCOPY
TRAPPING
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
DISTRIBUTION
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
PNICTIDES
QUASI PARTICLES