Coherently driven microcavity-polaritons and the question of superfluidity

TL;DR

This paper challenges the interpretation of superfluidity in coherently driven microcavity-polaritons, showing that their response characteristics differ from traditional superfluids due to external phase locking and a gapped excitation spectrum.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the superfluid response is zero in coherently driven polaritons, indicating a rigid state rather than true superfluidity, contrasting previous experimental interpretations.

Findings

Superfluid response is zero for coherently driven polaritons.

A gapped excitation spectrum results from external phase locking.

Observed suppression of scattering is due to a rigid state, not superfluidity.

Abstract

Due to their driven-dissipative nature, photonic quantum fluids present new challenges in understanding superfluidity. Some associated effects have been observed, and notably the report of nearly dissipationless flow for coherently driven microcavity-polaritons was taken as a smoking gun for superflow. Here we show that the superfluid response --- the difference between responses to longitudinal and transverse forces --- is zero for coherently driven polaritons. This is a consequence of the gapped excitation spectrum caused by external phase locking. Furthermore, while a normal component exists at finite pump momentum, the remainder forms a rigid state that is unresponsive to either longitudinal or transverse perturbations. Interestingly, the total response almost vanishes when the real part of the excitation spectrum has a linear dispersion, which was the regime investigated experimentally. This suggests that the observed suppression of scattering should be interpreted as a sign of this new rigid state and not a superfluid.