Probing the Dynamics of Spontaneous Quantum Vortices in Polariton Superfluids

• Main Authors: Liew, Timothy Chi Hin, Savona, V., Kavokin, A. V., André, R., Deveaud-Plédran, B., Lagoudakis, K. G., Manni, F., Pietka, B., Wouters, M.
• Other Authors: School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Polariton; Quantum
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/85897; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/43899
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The experimental investigation of spontaneously created vortices is of utmost importance for the understanding of quantum phase transitions towards a superfluid phase, especially for two-dimensional systems that are expected to be governed by the Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless physics. By means of time-resolved near-field interferometry we track the path of such vortices, created at random locations in an exciton-polariton condensate under pulsed nonresonant excitation, to their final pinning positions imposed by the stationary disorder. We formulate a theoretical model that successfully reproduces the experimental observations.