Spatial and spectral shape of inhomogeneous non-equilibrium exciton-polariton condensates

TL;DR

This paper develops a mean-field theory to analyze the spatial and spectral properties of inhomogeneous non-equilibrium exciton-polariton condensates, highlighting their sensitivity to pump conditions and aligning with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for understanding the shape and spectral features of polariton condensates under nonresonant pumping in microcavities.

Findings

Condensate shape is highly sensitive to pump spot size.

The theory predicts spectral signatures of non-equilibrium condensation.

Results agree quantitatively with recent experiments.

Abstract

We develop a mean-field theory of the spatial profile and the spectral properties of polariton condensates in nonresonantly pumped semiconductor microcavities in the strong coupling regime. Predictions are obtained for both the continuous-wave and the pulsed excitation regimes and the specific signatures of the non-equilibrium character of the condensation process are pointed out. A striking sensitivity of the condensate shape on the optical pump spot size is demonstrated by analytical and numerical calculations, in good quantitative agreement with recent experimental observations.