Self-Trapping of Exciton-Polariton Condensates in GaAs Microcavities

Dario Ballarini, Igor Chestnov, Davide Caputo, Milena De Giorgi, Lorenzo Dominici, Kenneth West, Loren N. Pfeiffer, Giuseppe Gigli, Alexey Kavokin, Daniele Sanvitto

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14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The self-trapping of exciton-polariton condensates is demonstrated and explained by the formation of a new polaronlike state. Above the polariton lasing threshold, local variation of the lattice temperature provides the mechanism for an attractive interaction between polaritons. Because of this attraction, the condensate collapses into a small bright spot. Its position and momentum variances approach the Heisenberg quantum limit. The self-trapping does not require either a resonant driving force or a presence of defects. The trapped state is stabilized by the phonon-assisted stimulated scattering of excitons into the polariton condensate. While the formation mechanism of the observed self-trapped state is similar to the Landau-Pekar polaron model, this state is populated by several thousands of quasiparticles, in a striking contrast to the conventional single-particle polaron state.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number047401
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume123
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 23 2019
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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