Non-equilibrium polariton condensates entangle properties of lasers, atomic Bose- Einstein condensates (BEC) and semiconductor physics. They provide a great variety of physical phenomena while maintaining a simple theoretical description. Among those phenomena are nonlinear excitations such as solitons or spontaneous spin bifurcations. In this paper I first present a short overview on the theoretical basis of polaritons. Then starting from a scenario of excitation generation in equilibrium BEC I turn to corresponding phenomenona in polariton condensates such as dark soliton formation. Later the spin sensitive phenomena such as nonequilibrium bright solitons and half-bright solitons in semiconductor microcavities are discussed. Theoretically all the considered scenarios are described by partial differential equations (PDEs) and coupled systems thereof. The system of PDEs defines a so called condensate wave function, which completely describes the experimental relevant aspects of the physical system in a certain parameter regime where condensation occurs. The developed theories enables us particularly to make a variety of statements about excitations such as solitons and half-solitons in spinor systems forming within a non-equilibrium condensate. It turns out that by those means we can elucidate in particular the experimental implementation of a coherent superposition analog in a spin sensitive setting forming a macroscopic QUBIT within the semiconductor microcavity at temperatures in the Kelvin range.
Non-equilibrium polariton condensates entangle properties of lasers, atomic Bose- Einstein condensates (BEC) and semiconductor physics. They provide a great variety of physical phenomena while maintaining a simple theoretical description. Among those phenomena are nonlinear excitations such as solitons or spontaneous spin bifurcations. In this paper I first present a short overview on the theoretical basis of polaritons. Then starting from a scenario of excitation generation in equilibrium BEC I turn to corresponding phenomenona in polariton condensates such as dark soliton formation. Later the spin sensitive phenomena such as nonequilibrium bright solitons and half-bright solitons in semiconductor microcavities are discussed. Theoretically all the considered scenarios are described by partial differential equations (PDEs) and coupled systems thereof. The system of PDEs defines a so called condensate wave function, which completely describes the experimental relevant aspects of the physical system in a certain parameter regime where condensation occurs. The developed theories enables us particularly to make a variety of statements about excitations such as solitons and half-solitons in spinor systems forming within a non-equilibrium condensate. It turns out that by those means we can elucidate in particular the experimental implementation of a coherent superposition analog in a spin sensitive setting forming a macroscopic QUBIT within the semiconductor microcavity at temperatures in the Kelvin range.
We theoretically demonstrate a mechanism for bright soliton generation in spinor non-equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensates made of atoms or quasi-particles such as polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. We give analytical expressions for bright (half) solitons as minimizing functions of a generalized non-conservative Lagrangian elucidating the unique features of inter and intra-competition in non-equilibrium systems. The analytical results are supported by a detailed numerical analysis that further shows the rich soliton dynamics inferred by their instability and mutual cross-interactions.
We review, aiming at an audience of final year undergraduates, the phenomena observed in, and properties of, microcavity exciton–polariton condensates. These are condensates of mixed light and matter, consisting of superpositions of photons in semiconductor microcavities and excitons in quantum wells. Because of the imperfect confinement of the photon component, exciton–polaritons have a finite lifetime, and have to be continuously re-populated. Therefore, exciton–polariton condensates lie somewhere between equilibrium Bose–Einstein condensates and lasers. We review in particular the evidence for condensation, the coherence properties studied experimentally, and the wide variety of spatial structures either observed or predicted to exist in exciton–polariton condensates, including quantised vortices and other coherent structures. We also discuss the question of superfluidity in a non-equilibrium system, reviewing both the experimental attempts to investigate superfluidity to date, and the theoretical suggestions of how it may be further elucidated.
Bose–Einstein Condensation (BEC) of atomic gases has attracted a renewed theoretical and experimental interest in quantum many-body systems at extremely low temperatures (Pethick & Smith; 2002). This excitement stems from two favorable features: (1) by applying magnetic fields and lasers, most of the system parameters, such as the shape, dimensionality, internal states of the condensates, and even the strength of the interatomic interactions, are controllable; (2) due to the diluteness, the mean-field theory explains experiments quite well. In particular, the Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation demonstrates its validity as a basic equation for the condensate dynamics. The GP equation is the counterpart of the nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation in nonlinear optics. Thus, a study based on nonlinear analysis is possible and important. In nonlinear physics, a soliton is remarkable object not only for the fact that exact solutions can be obtained but also for its usefulness as a communications tool due to its robustness. In general, solitons are formed under the balance between nonlinearity and dispersion. For atomic condensates, the former is attributed to the interatomic interactions, while the latter comes from the kinetic energy. Either dark or bright solitons are allowable depending on the positive or negative sign of the interatomic coupling constants g, respectively, and indeed have been observed in a quasione-dimensional (q1D) optically constructed waveguide (Strecker et al.; 2002) (Khaykovich et al.; 2002). Such matter-wave solitons are expected in atom optics for applications in atom laser, atom interferometry, and coherent atom transport (Meystre; 2002). In this chapter, we extend the analysis of the matter-wave solitons to a multicomponent case by considering the so-called spinor condensate (Stenger et al.; 1998) whose spin degrees of freedom are liberated under optical traps. Based on theoretical and experimental results, we introduce a new integrable model which describes the dynamical properties of the matter-wave soliton of spinor condensates (Ieda et al.; 2004a). We employ the inverse scattering method to solve this model exactly. As a result, we predict the occurrence of undiscovered physical phenomena such as macroscopic spin precession and spin switching. The chapter is organized as follows. In Sec. 2, the mean field theory of condensate is briefly reviewed. Section 3 introduces an effective interatomic coupling in a q1D condensate. Using these results, we consider a spinor condensate in q1D regime in Sec. 4. Then, in Sec. 5, we
In this work I introduce a powerful analytical method to analyze states of non-equilibrium polariton Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC). It is shown that the condensate wave functions carrying dark solitons and half-dark solitons can be expressed in terms of the natural parameters of the non-equilibrium system, i.e. the growth and decay rates and the interaction parameters. The derivation is based on a non-conservative Lagrangian formalism, which provides ordinary differential equations for the parameters of the dark soliton solutions in their dynamic environment. Explicit expressions for the stationary solution are stated, which significantly differ from those observed in atomic BEC. Subsequently the method is extended to spinor condensates, which yields ordinary differential equations for the parameters of half-dark solitons. Finally a stationary case with explicit expressions for half-dark solitons is presented as well.
Magnetic soliton is an intriguing nonlinear topological excitation that carries magnetic charges while featuring a constant total density. So far, it has only been studied in the ultracold atomic gases with the framework of the equilibrium physics, where its stable existence crucially relies on a nearly spin-isotropic, antiferromagnetic, interaction. Here, we demonstrate that magnetic soliton can appear as the exact solutions of dissipative Gross–Pitaevskii equations in a linearly polarized spinor polariton condensate with the framework of the non-equilibrium physics, even though polariton interactions are strongly spin anisotropic. This is possibly due to a dissipation-enabled mechanism, where spin excitation decouples from other excitation channels as a result of gain-and-loss balance. Such unconventional magnetic soliton transcends constraints of equilibrium counterpart and provides a novel kind of spin-polarized polariton soliton for potential application in opto-spintronics.
Exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are newly emerged quantum systems that are capable of showing macroscopic quantum phenomena with intrinsic open-dissipative nature. The spatial distribution of the polariton density, without any external potential, can be controlled by the geometric shape of the pumping laser, enabling the investigation of polariton dynamics with topologically non-trivial configurations. Meanwhile, exciton-polaritons have spin degrees of freedom inherited from excitons and photons, making it a candidate for the realization of quantum logic gates. In this thesis, we will investigate theoretically the nonlinear dynamics of exciton-polariton BECs involving both polaritons' spatial degrees of freedom and spin degrees of freedom, and interactions between them. This thesis is organised as follows: In Chapter 1, we will present an overall review of exiton-polariton systems and important properties of polariton BECs and then introduce the dynamical equations with various interactions that will serve as the main theoretical tool for subsequent chapters. Several polariton pumping and trapping techniques appearing in later chapters will also be introduced. In Chapter 2, we will investigate the superfluidity properties of a single-component polariton condensate under an incoherent annular pumping configuration. By studying the stability properties of polariton persistent currents, we find that the persistent currents can exhibit dynamical instability and energetic-like instability according to different parameter region. A stability phase diagram will be given and its relation with the Landau's criterion will be discussed. In Chapter 3, we will investigate the spin dynamics of a two-component polariton condensate under a homogeneous pumping configuration. Owing to the Josephson coupling, there exist multiple steady state solutions that allow of controlled spin state switching. A desynchronized region where there exists no stable steady solution is found. In the desynchronized region, a desynchronized state beating periodically over time can exist, which will serve as a building block of spin waves presented in the next chapter. In Chapter 4, by combining results from the previous two chapters we will investigate generally the nonlinear dynamics of polariton condensates under an annular pumping configuration. The spin-orbit interaction provided by the Josephson coupling supports azimuthon states that have simultaneous modulations in both amplitude and phase. The azimuthon states, when viewed in a different polarization basis, form rotating spin waves that can be referred to as the optical ferris wheel. In Chapter 5, results from previous chapters will be extended to micocavities that support the anisotropic TE-TM splitting interaction. Rotating singularities (small-scale vortices) are found as a result. Their properties and experimental observation techniques will be discussed. Chapter 2-5 provide a theoretical framework for the nonlinear dynamics of polariton condensates. They rely mostly on optical trapping techniques and are ready to be tested in experiments. In Chapter 6, polaritons trapped by an engineered periodic mesa potential will be discussed. We will investigate the band structure of polaritons under the influence of the periodic potential together with discussions on the phase-modulated interference pattern which corresponds to the polariton Talbot patterns observed in experiments.