Multiply quantized vortex spectroscopy in a quantum fluid of light

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the creation and stabilization of multiply charged vortices in a driven-dissipative quantum fluid of light, revealing features of quantized vortices and enabling studies of amplification phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a method to generate and stabilize stationary, multiply charged vortices in polaritonic fluids of light, leveraging their driven-dissipative nature.

Findings

Observation of negative and positive energy modes coexisting at the same frequency

Stabilization of vortices through intrinsic losses and phase pinning

Identification of features analogous to astrophysical rotating objects

Abstract

The formation of quantized vortices is a unifying feature of quantum mechanical systems, making it a premier means for fundamental and comparative studies of different quantum fluids. Being excited states of motion, vortices are normally unstable towards relaxation into lower energy states. However, here we exploit the driven-dissipative nature of polaritonic fluids of light to create stationary, multiply charged vortices. We measure the spectrum of collective excitations and observe negative energy modes at the core and positive energy modes at large radii. Their coexistence at the same frequency normally causes the dynamical instability, but here intrinsic losses stabilize the system, allowing for phase pinning by the pump on macroscopic scales. We observe generic features of quantized vortices in quantum fluids and other rotating geometries like astrophysical compact objects, opening the way to the study of generic amplification phenomena.