Trapping Excitons in a Two-Dimensional In-Plane Harmonic Potential: Experimental Evidence for Equilibration of Indirect Excitons
Abstract
We have trapped a gas of long-lifetime, high-mobility excitons in an in-plane harmonic potential. Trapping is an important step toward the goal of a controlled Bose-Einstein condensate of excitons. We show that the repulsive interaction between the excitons plays a dominant role in the behavior of the excitons, in contrast with the weak interactions in atomic gases. We show that under proper conditions the excitons thermalize in the trap to a well-defined equilibrium spatial distribution.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- July 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.016803
- Bibcode:
- 2006PhRvL..97a6803V
- Keywords:
-
- 73.20.Mf;
- 73.21.Fg;
- Collective excitations;
- Quantum wells