Linear Wave Dynamics Explains Observations Attributed to Dark Solitons in a Polariton Quantum Fluid
Abstract
We investigate the propagation and scattering of polaritons in a planar GaAs microcavity in the linear regime under resonant excitation. The propagation of the coherent polariton wave across an extended defect creates phase and intensity patterns with identical qualitative features previously attributed to dark and half-dark solitons of polaritons. We demonstrate that these features are observed for negligible nonlinearity (i.e., polariton-polariton interaction) and are, therefore, not sufficient to identify dark and half-dark solitons. A linear model based on the Maxwell equations is shown to reproduce the experimental observations.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- September 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.103901
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1401.1128
- Bibcode:
- 2014PhRvL.113j3901C
- Keywords:
-
- 42.65.Tg;
- 03.75.Lm;
- 42.25.Fx;
- 47.35.Fg;
- Optical solitons;
- nonlinear guided waves;
- Tunneling Josephson effect Bose-Einstein condensates in periodic potentials solitons vortices and topological excitations;
- Diffraction and scattering;
- Solitary waves;
- Physics - Optics;
- Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases
- E-Print:
- Article + Supplementary Information (tot. 18 pages)