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Observation of the amplitude mode in a microcavity polariton condensate driven by quantum fluctuations

ORAL

Abstract

We directly observe emission into the amplitude mode from an exciton-polariton condensate: the signature of this mode being the ghost-branch photoluminescence at energies below the condensate. This amplitude mode, the number-fluctuation variant of the Goldstone mode, appears in many forms of condensed matter; however, the polariton system gives a unique way to passively monitor this mode in the steady-state system without driving the population far out of equilibrium. This mode is predicted to manifest as an excitation of condensed particles into the upper-polariton state. Here we present experimental results in agreement with our theoretical analysis. Additionally, we present a family of ghost-branch modes that require an expanded theory to capture.

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Presenters

  • Mark Steger

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Authors

  • Mark Steger

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  • Ryo Hanai

    James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago

  • Alexander Edelman

    University of Chicago, James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory

  • Peter B Littlewood

    Argonne National Lab, James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Condensed Matter Theory, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory

  • David Wayne Snoke

    Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Univ of Pittsburgh, Astronomy and Physics, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh

  • Jonathan Beaumariage

    Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Univ of Pittsburgh, Astronomy and Physics, University of Pittsburgh

  • Brian Fluegel

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  • Kenneth West

    Princeton University, Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Electrical engineering, Princeton university, Princeton Univ, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, electrical engineering, Princeton, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA

  • Loren Pfeiffer

    Princeton University, Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Electrical engineering, Princeton university, Princeton Univ, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, electrical engineering, Princeton, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA

  • Angelo J Mascarenhas

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory