Quasi-one-dimensional flow of polariton condensate past an obstacle

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nonlinear wave patterns formed by polariton condensate flow past an obstacle in a quasi-one-dimensional microcavity, highlighting the effects of pumping and damping in different flow regimes.

Contribution

It provides analytical and numerical analysis of wave patterns in polariton condensate flow, emphasizing the role of pumping and damping in subsonic and supersonic regimes.

Findings

Subsonic flows produce smooth disturbances

Supersonic flows generate dispersive shock waves

Analytical results agree with numerical simulations

Abstract

Nonlinear wave patterns generated by the flow of polariton condensate past an obstacle are studied for quasi-one-dimensional microcavity geometry. It is shown that pumping and nonlinear damping play a crucial role in this process leading to sharp differences in subsonic and supersonic regimes. Subsonic flows result in a smooth disturbance of the equilibrium condensate around the obstacle whereas supersonic flow generates a dispersive shock wave in the flow upstream the obstacle and a long smooth downstream tail. Main characteristics of the wave pattern are calculated analytically and analytical results are in excellent agreement with the results of numerical simulations. The conditions for existence of stationary wave patterns are determined numerically.