Azimuthons and pattern formation in annularly confined exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates steady states, including azimuthons, in a two-component exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensate confined in an annular trap, revealing their formation, stability, and methods of excitation.

Contribution

It introduces the existence and properties of azimuthon states in spinor exciton-polariton condensates within annular traps, highlighting their formation via optical pumping and noise-induced spontaneous emergence.

Findings

Stationary and rotating azimuthon states exist in the system.

Azimuthons can be imprinted by light pulses with orbital angular momentum.

Thermal noise can induce spontaneous azimuthon formation.

Abstract

We present numerical analysis of steady states in a two-component (spinor) driven-dissipative quantum fluid formed by condensed exciton-polaritons in an annular optically induced trap. We demonstrate that an incoherent ring-shaped optical pump creating the exciton-polariton confinement supports the existence of stationary and rotating azimuthon steady states with azimuthally modulated density. Such states can be imprinted by coherent light pulses with a defined orbital angular momentum, as well as generated spontaneously in the presence of thermal noise.