Mode-locking and mode-competition in a non-equilibrium solid-state condensate

Abstract

A trapped polariton condensate with continuous pumping and decay is analyzed using a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii model. Whereas an equilibrium condensate is characterized by a macroscopic occupation of a ground state, here the steady-states take more general forms. Some are characterized by a large population in an excited state, and others by large populations in several states. In the latter case, the highly-populated states synchronize to a common frequency above a critical density. Estimates for the critical density of this synchronization transition are consistent with experiments.

5 pages, 2 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Polariton laser using single micropillar GaAs-GaAlAs semiconductor cavities
• Collective coherence in planar semiconductor microcavities
• Bose glass and superfuid phases of cavity polaritons