Trapping Long-Lifetime Excitons in a Two-Dimensional Harmonic Potential

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates trapping long-lifetime excitons in a two-dimensional harmonic potential, enabling clearer observation of Bose-Einstein condensation in semiconductors through extended exciton lifetimes and novel detection methods.

Contribution

It introduces a system that traps excitons with microsecond lifetimes in a harmonic potential, facilitating unambiguous BEC observation in semiconductors.

Findings

Excitons live for microseconds, much longer than thermalization time.

Excitons can be trapped in a harmonic potential similar to atomic traps.

A new method using angular resolution of luminescence aids BEC evidence detection.

Abstract

We report an important step forward for the goal of unambiguous observation of Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in semiconductors. We have demonstrated a system in which excitons live for microseconds, much longer than their thermalization time, move over distances of hundreds of microns, and can be trapped in a harmonic potential exactly analous to the traps for atomic condensates. We also report recent results of a new method for observing evidence of Bose-Einstein condensation, by angular resolution of the emitted luminescence.