Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2407.10506 · Communications Physics

Coherence of a non-equilibrium polariton condensate across the interaction-mediated phase transition

P. Comaron, Eliezer Estrecho, Matthias Wurdack, Maciej Pieczarka, Mark Steger, D. W. Snoke, K. W. West, Loren N. Pfeiffer, Andrew G. Truscott, Michał Matuszewski, Marzena Hanna Szymańska, Elena A. Ostrovskaya

Published Mar 7, 2025• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract The emergence of spatial coherence in a confined two-dimensional Bose gas of exciton polaritons with tuneable interactions offers a unique opportunity to explore the role of interactions in a phase transition in a driven-dissipative quantum system, where both the phase transition and thermalisation are mediated by interactions. We investigate, experimentally and numerically, the spatial coherence and steady-state properties of the gas over a wide range of interaction strengths by varying the photonic/excitonic fraction of the polaritons and their density. We find that the first order spatial correlation function exhibits algebraic decay consistent with the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition. The exponent of the algebraic decay is inversely proportional to the coherent fraction of polaritons, in analogy to superfluid fraction of equilibrium quantum gases above the BKT transition, but with a different proportionality constant. Our work paves the way for future investigations of the phenomenon of phase transitions and superfluidity in a driven-dissipative setting.

DOI
10.1038/s42005-025-01977-7

Related papers

Spatial correlation of two-dimensional bosonic multimode condensates

Wolfgang H. Nitsche, Na Young Kim, Georgios Roumpos +4 more

The Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) theorem predicts that two-dimensional bosonic condensates exhibit quasi-long-range order which is characterized by a slow decay of the spatial coherence. However previous measurements on exciton-polariton condensates revealed that their spatial coherence can decay faster than allowed under the BKT theory, and different theoretical explanations have already been proposed. Through theoretical and experimental study of exciton-polariton condensates, we show that the fast decay of the coherence can be explained through the simultaneous presence of multiple modes in the condensate.

arXiv:1510.03096•Physical Review A•May 23, 2016•9 citations

Optical probes of coherence in two-dimensional Bose gases of polaritons

Joseph Jachinowski, Hassan Alnatah, David W. Snoke +1 more

Due to their photonic components, exciton-polariton systems provide a convenient platform to study the coherence properties of weakly-interacting Bose gases. In particular, optical interferometry enables the measurement of the first-order coherence function which provides information about the intrinsic correlations of the system. In this paper, we derive a universal curve for the coherent fraction of a noninteracting, equilibrium, homogeneous, two-dimensional Bose gas, with density expressed in units of the observation area, and compare to recent experimental results. Although there is a sharp transition from normal to superfluid phases in the thermodynamic limit, the coherent fraction of the gas varies continuously across this transition due to the finite system size. We find that the theory agrees nearly perfectly with the experimental data in the low-density limit with no free parameters other than the effective temperature, highly constrained by the measurements. At higher density, the experiments are consistent with standard weakly-interacting Bose gas theory. By having a theory that treats both the optical diffraction and Bose coherence, we can clearly see the effect of the quantum statistics on the coherence.

arXiv:2503.08629•Physical Review A•Jun 15, 2026•0 citations

Connecting Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless and BEC Phase Transitions by Tuning Interactions in a Trapped Gas

Richard J. Fletcher, Martin Robert-De-Saint-Vincent, Jay Man +4 more

We study the critical point for the emergence of coherence in a harmonically trapped two-dimensional Bose gas with tunable interactions. Over a wide range of interaction strengths we find excellent agreement with the classical-field predictions for the critical point of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) superfluid transition. This allows us to quantitatively show, without any free parameters, that the interaction-driven BKT transition smoothly converges onto the purely quantum-statistical Bose-Einstein condensation transition in the limit of vanishing interactions.

arXiv:1501.02262•Physical Review Letters•Jun 26, 2015•66 citations

Observation of BKT Transition in BEC of Exciton-Polaritons in a Semiconductor Microcavity

Wolfgang H. Nitsche, Na Young Kim, Georgios Roumpos +3 more

The first-order spatial correlation function of a Bose-Einstein condensate of exciton-polaritons in a semiconductor microcavity is measured. It behaves as the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless theory predicts and decays with a power-law.

•Jan 1, 2013•1 citation

Superfluidity and Phase Correlations of Driven Dissipative Condensates

Jonathan Keeling, Lukas M. Sieberer, Ehud Altman +3 more

We review recent results on the coherence and superfluidity of driven dissipative condensates, i.e., systems of weakly interacting nonconserved bosons, such as polariton condensates. The presence of driving and dissipation has dramatically different effects depending on dimensionality and anisotropy. In three dimensions, equilibrium behaviour is recovered at large scales for static correlations, while the dynamical behaviour is altered by the microscopic driving. In two dimensions, for an isotropic system, drive and dissipation destroy the algebraic order that would otherwise exist; however, a sufficiently anisotropic system can still show algebraic phase correlations. We discuss the consequences of this behaviour for recent experiments measuring phase coherence and outline potential measurements that might directly probe superfluidity. Introduction This chapter is dedicated to superfluidity and its relation to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), a topic with a long history. Many reviews of the concepts of condensation and superfluidity in thermal equilibrium can be found; see for example Refs. [1, 2, 3, 4]. The focus of this chapter is on how these concepts apply (or fail to apply) to driven dissipative condensates – systems of bosons with a finite lifetime, in which loss is balanced by continuous pumping. We focus entirely on the steady state of such systems, neglecting transient, time-dependent behaviour. Experimentally, the most studied example of a driven dissipative condensate has been microcavity polaritons, an overview of which is given in Ref. [5] and Chapter 4. However, similar issues can arise in many other systems, most obviously photon condensates [6] (see also Chapter 19), magnon condensates [7] (see also Chapters 25–26), and potentially exciton condensates (although typical exciton lifetimes are much longer than for polaritons). Even experiments on cold atoms (see, e.g., Chapter 3) could be driven into a regime in which such physics occurs, when considering continuous loading of atoms balancing threebody losses [8] or atom laser setups [9, 10, 11]. Experiments on polaritons are two-dimensional, and in two dimensions it is particularly important to clearly distinguish three concepts often erroneously treated as equivalent: superfluidity, condensation, and phase coherence. This is because no true Bose-Einstein condensate exists in a homogeneous two-dimensional system.

arXiv:1601.04495•Cambridge University Press eBooks•Oct 4, 2018•10 citations

Dynamical development of long-range spatial coherence in non-equilibrium bosonic condensation

Bianca Rae Fabricante, Dąbrówka Biegańska, P. Comaron +14 more

Development of spontaneous coherence is one of the hallmarks of bosonic condensation in a variety of physical systems, such as cold atoms, confined photons, and hybrid light-matter quasiparticles like exciton polaritons in semiconductors. While spatial coherence is well understood once a steady-state condensate has been established, its temporal evolution as the condensate forms is largely unexplored. Here, we explore the dynamical formation of a non-equilibrium, driven-dissipative exciton-polariton condensate through both time-resolved experiments and numerical modeling. Our study reveals that the spatial coherence is established through two distinct stages. The early-time stage is interaction-driven and features transient oscillations in spatial coherence. This stage is followed by a steady-state regime characterized by a spatially-uniform high degree of coherence that extends over the entire size of the system and persists over time. These stages of spatial coherence development occur in both free flowing and confined exciton-polariton systems that undergo a quench - rapid growth of the condensate starting from two different initial settings. Our study offers a deep insight into the process by which long-range spatial coherence is established in a non-equilibrium bosonic condensate.

arXiv:2608.25407•Aug 26, 2026•0 citations
Abstract The emergence of spatial coherence in a confined two-dimensional Bose gas of exciton polaritons with tuneable interactions offers a unique opportunity to explore the role of interactions in a phase transition in a driven-dissipative quantum system, where both the phase transition and thermalisation are mediated by interactions. We investigate, experimentally and numerically, the spatial coherence and steady-state properties of the gas over a wide range of interaction strengths by varying the photonic/excitonic fraction of the polaritons and their density. We find that the first order spatial correlation function exhibits algebraic decay consistent with the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition. The exponent of the algebraic decay is inversely proportional to the coherent fraction of polaritons, in analogy to superfluid fraction of equilibrium quantum gases above the BKT transition, but with a different proportionality constant. Our work paves the way for future investigations of the phenomenon of phase transitions and superfluidity in a driven-dissipative setting.
The Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) theorem predicts that two-dimensional bosonic condensates exhibit quasi-long-range order which is characterized by a slow decay of the spatial coherence. However previous measurements on exciton-polariton condensates revealed that their spatial coherence can decay faster than allowed under the BKT theory, and different theoretical explanations have already been proposed. Through theoretical and experimental study of exciton-polariton condensates, we show that the fast decay of the coherence can be explained through the simultaneous presence of multiple modes in the condensate.
Due to their photonic components, exciton-polariton systems provide a convenient platform to study the coherence properties of weakly-interacting Bose gases. In particular, optical interferometry enables the measurement of the first-order coherence function which provides information about the intrinsic correlations of the system. In this paper, we derive a universal curve for the coherent fraction of a noninteracting, equilibrium, homogeneous, two-dimensional Bose gas, with density expressed in units of the observation area, and compare to recent experimental results. Although there is a sharp transition from normal to superfluid phases in the thermodynamic limit, the coherent fraction of the gas varies continuously across this transition due to the finite system size. We find that the theory agrees nearly perfectly with the experimental data in the low-density limit with no free parameters other than the effective temperature, highly constrained by the measurements. At higher density, the experiments are consistent with standard weakly-interacting Bose gas theory. By having a theory that treats both the optical diffraction and Bose coherence, we can clearly see the effect of the quantum statistics on the coherence.
We study the critical point for the emergence of coherence in a harmonically trapped two-dimensional Bose gas with tunable interactions. Over a wide range of interaction strengths we find excellent agreement with the classical-field predictions for the critical point of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) superfluid transition. This allows us to quantitatively show, without any free parameters, that the interaction-driven BKT transition smoothly converges onto the purely quantum-statistical Bose-Einstein condensation transition in the limit of vanishing interactions.
We review recent results on the coherence and superfluidity of driven dissipative condensates, i.e., systems of weakly interacting nonconserved bosons, such as polariton condensates. The presence of driving and dissipation has dramatically different effects depending on dimensionality and anisotropy. In three dimensions, equilibrium behaviour is recovered at large scales for static correlations, while the dynamical behaviour is altered by the microscopic driving. In two dimensions, for an isotropic system, drive and dissipation destroy the algebraic order that would otherwise exist; however, a sufficiently anisotropic system can still show algebraic phase correlations. We discuss the consequences of this behaviour for recent experiments measuring phase coherence and outline potential measurements that might directly probe superfluidity. Introduction This chapter is dedicated to superfluidity and its relation to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), a topic with a long history. Many reviews of the concepts of condensation and superfluidity in thermal equilibrium can be found; see for example Refs. [1, 2, 3, 4]. The focus of this chapter is on how these concepts apply (or fail to apply) to driven dissipative condensates – systems of bosons with a finite lifetime, in which loss is balanced by continuous pumping. We focus entirely on the steady state of such systems, neglecting transient, time-dependent behaviour. Experimentally, the most studied example of a driven dissipative condensate has been microcavity polaritons, an overview of which is given in Ref. [5] and Chapter 4. However, similar issues can arise in many other systems, most obviously photon condensates [6] (see also Chapter 19), magnon condensates [7] (see also Chapters 25–26), and potentially exciton condensates (although typical exciton lifetimes are much longer than for polaritons). Even experiments on cold atoms (see, e.g., Chapter 3) could be driven into a regime in which such physics occurs, when considering continuous loading of atoms balancing threebody losses [8] or atom laser setups [9, 10, 11]. Experiments on polaritons are two-dimensional, and in two dimensions it is particularly important to clearly distinguish three concepts often erroneously treated as equivalent: superfluidity, condensation, and phase coherence. This is because no true Bose-Einstein condensate exists in a homogeneous two-dimensional system.
Development of spontaneous coherence is one of the hallmarks of bosonic condensation in a variety of physical systems, such as cold atoms, confined photons, and hybrid light-matter quasiparticles like exciton polaritons in semiconductors. While spatial coherence is well understood once a steady-state condensate has been established, its temporal evolution as the condensate forms is largely unexplored. Here, we explore the dynamical formation of a non-equilibrium, driven-dissipative exciton-polariton condensate through both time-resolved experiments and numerical modeling. Our study reveals that the spatial coherence is established through two distinct stages. The early-time stage is interaction-driven and features transient oscillations in spatial coherence. This stage is followed by a steady-state regime characterized by a spatially-uniform high degree of coherence that extends over the entire size of the system and persists over time. These stages of spatial coherence development occur in both free flowing and confined exciton-polariton systems that undergo a quench - rapid growth of the condensate starting from two different initial settings. Our study offers a deep insight into the process by which long-range spatial coherence is established in a non-equilibrium bosonic condensate.