Oblique solitons in the flow of polariton condensate past an obstacle

TL;DR

This paper investigates the formation of oblique solitons in polariton condensate flow past an obstacle, highlighting how finite polariton lifetime alters formation conditions and confirming theoretical predictions with experiments and simulations.

Contribution

It provides an analytical and numerical analysis of oblique solitons in polariton condensates, considering non-uniform flow effects due to finite polariton lifetime, and aligns theory with recent experimental findings.

Findings

Oblique solitons can form in subsonic polariton flows.

Finite polariton lifetime significantly affects soliton formation conditions.

Analytical results agree with numerical simulations and experiments.

Abstract

Formation of oblique solitons by a flow of polariton condensate past an obstacle is considered. The flow is non-uniform due to a finite life-time of polaritons what changes drastically the conditions of formation of oblique solitons compared with the atomic condensate case. The theory shows that the polariton solitons can be generated by a subsonic flow in agreement with the recent experiment [A. Amo {\it et al.}, Science, {\bf 332,} 1167 (2011)]. Geometric form of oblique solitons and other their parameters are calculated analytically and analytical results are confirmed by numerical simulations.