Quantum fluid properties of polaritons in semiconductor microcavities

Year: 2010

Authors: Amo A., Pigeon S., Adrados C., Lefrere J., Ciuti C., Carusotto I., Houdre R., Bramati A., Giacobino E.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Paris 06, Lab Kastler Brossel, Ecole Normale Super, CNRS, F-75252 Paris 05, France; Univ Paris Diderot, Lab Mat & Phenomenes Quant, F-75013 Paris, France; Univ Trent, INO, CNR, BEC Ctr, I-38123 Povo, Italy; Univ Trent, Dipartimento Fis, I-38123 Povo, Italy; Ecole Polytech Fed Lausanne, Inst Phys Mat Condensee, Stn 3, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Abstract: In semiconductor quantum wells embedded in a high finesse microcavity, excitons, which are bound electron-hole systems, strongly couple to photons, forming mixed quasi-particles called polaritons. Polaritons can be coherently excited by an incident laser field and detected through the emitted light. Thanks to their excitonic component, polaritons have binary interactions which can modify their dispersion curve. These properties have allowed us to demonstrate nonlinear and quantum optical effects in the microcavity emission, and more recently quantum fluid properties. A semiconductor microcavity polariton fluid, injected by a nearly-resonant continuous wave pump laser can exhibit collective excitations that deeply modify its propagation. Superfluid behavior of the polariton fluid is obtained and manifests itself as the suppression of scattering from defects. In other conditions Cerenkov-like patterns are observed. Microcavity polaritons are thus very good tools for exploring the physics of non-equilibrium quantum fluids.

Journal/Review: JOURNAL OF MODERN OPTICS

Volume: 57 (19)      Pages from: PII 928331481-1  to: PII 928331481-8

More Information: This work was supported by the Ile de France program IFRAF. A.A. and S.P. were funded by the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche, A.B. is a member of the Institut Universitaire de France.
KeyWords: quantum fluids; exciton polariton; semiconductor microcavity
DOI: 10.1080/09500340.2010.522739

Citations: 2
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