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A. V. Nalitov

Publications and source records attributed to A. V. Nalitov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Supersolidity in Optically Trapped Polariton Condensates

Superfluids under specific conditions can exhibit spontaneous breaking of continuous translation symmetries and form exotic spatially ordered states of matter known as supersolids. Despite its early theoretical prediction, it took over half-a-centrury to experimentally demonstrate the supersolid phase in ultracold atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, forming due to long-range interatomic interactions. Here we propose as a promising new platform for supersolidity exciton-polariton superfluids, confined in annular optically induced traps. The supersolid phase emerges due to effective attractive interactions, mediated by the normal excitonic component of the system. Experimental demonstration of spontaneously formed spatially ordered phase is in agreement with detailed mean-field theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The spontaneous character of the observed supersolid transition is further evidenced by the formation of specific zero-energy Nambu-Goldstone modes in the collective excitation spectrum.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Spin-Meissner effect in systems of coupled polariton condensates

We theoretically investigate the interplay between Zeeman splitting and TE-TM-induced spin-flip tunneling in coupled exciton-polariton condensates systems and its impact on the spin-Meissner effect. We demonstrate that although a single condensate exhibits the effect of full paramagnetic screening via spin-anisotropic interactions, the inter-site spin-flip tunneling can dramatically alter this behavior. The geometry of the system is shown to play a crucial role. In particular, in a dyad, the chemical potential reveals quadratic scaling with the magnetic field. In a triangle, the competition between Zeeman and TE-TM splittings produces a rich phase diagram that features asymmetric polarization states corresponding to both positive and negative magnetic susceptibility. In a square configuration, the symmetry of the network can restore the spin-Meissner effect, so that the condensate emission frequency becomes magnetic field independent in an extended parameter range. These findings not only shed light on the fundamental physics of polariton lattices but also suggest promising avenues for engineering robust spin-controlled photonic devices and polaritonic simulators.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Optical Snake States in Photonic Graphene

We propose an optical analogue of electron snake states based on artificial gauge magnetic field in photonic graphene with effective strain implemented by varying distance between pillars. We develop an intuitive and exhaustive continuous model based on tight-binding approximation and compare it with numerical simulations of a realistic photonic structure. The allowed lateral propagation direction is shown to be strongly coupled to the valley degree of freedom and the proposed photonic structure may be used a valley filter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Nonequilibrium polariton condensation in biannular optically induced traps

We report the mean field model of nonequilibrium polariton condensation in annular effective non-Hermitian potential traps, stemming from incoherent optically induced excitonic reservoirs of annular shape. We solve the linearized extended Gross-Pitaevskii equation in the approximation of two delta-function effective shell potentials for complex spectra of trapped polariton modes and calculate corresponding condensation threshold optical pumping powers. The exhaustive map of condensate quantum number transitions in the multi-dimensional space of trap parameters, including a cascade of topological charge increments, is drastically different from the single annular trap case in topology and the range of accessible condensate states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Simultaneous creation of multiple vortex-antivortex pairs in momentum space in photonic lattices

Engineering of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light due to interaction with photonic lattices reveals rich physics and motivates potential applications. We report the experimental creation of regularly-distributed quantized vortex arrays in momentum space by probing the honeycomb and hexagonal photonic lattices with a single focused Gaussian beam. For the honeycomb lattice, the vortices are associated with Dirac points and mimic the Berry curvature sources. However, we show that the resulting spatial patterns of vortices are strongly defined by the symmetry of the wave packet evolving in the optical lattice but not by lattice topological properties. Our findings reveal the underlying physics by connecting the symmetry and OAM conversion, and provide a simple and efficient method to create regularly-distributed multiple vortices by unstructured light.

physics.optics↗

Topological turbulence in spin-orbit-coupled driven-dissipative quantum fluids of light generates high angular momentum states

We demonstrate the formation of a high angular momentum turbulent state in an exciton-polariton quantum fluid with TE-TM Spin-Orbit Coupling (SOC). The transfer of particles from quasi-resonantly cw pumped \spl component to \sm component is accompanied with the generation of a turbulent gas of quantum vortices by inhomogeneities. We show that this system is unstable with respect to the formation of bogolons at a finite wave vector, controlled by the laser detuning. In a finite-size cavity, the domains with this wave vector form a ring-like structure along the border of a cavity, with a gas of mostly same-sign vortices in the center. The total angular momentum is imposed by the sign of TE-TM SOC, the wave vector of instability, and the cavity size. This effect can be detected experimentally via local dispersion measurements or by interference. The proposed configuration thus allows simultaneous experimental studies of quantum turbulence and high-angular momentum states in continuously-pumped exciton-polariton condensates.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

Dynamics of spin polarization in tilted polariton rings

We have observed the effect of pseudo magnetic field originating from the polaritonic analog of spin-orbit coupling (TE$-$TM splitting) on a polariton condensate in a ring-shaped microcavity. The effect gives rise to a stable four-leaf pattern around the ring as seen from the linear polarization measurements of the condensate photoluminescence. This pattern is found to originate from the interplay of the cavity potential, energy relaxation, and TE-TM splitting in the ring. Our observations are compared to the dissipative one-dimensional spinor Gross-Pitaevskii equation with the TE-TM splitting energy which shows good qualitative agreement.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

Optically controlled polariton condensate molecules

A condensed matter platform for analogue simulation of complex two-dimensional molecular bonding configurations, based on optically trapped exciton-polariton condensates is proposed. The stable occupation of polariton condensates in the excited states of their optically configurable potential traps permits emulation of excited atomic orbitals. A classical mean field model describing the dissipative coupling mechanism between p-orbital condensates is derived, identifying lowest threshold condensation solutions as a function of trap parameters corresponding to bound and antibound $π$ and $σ$ bonding configurations, similar to those in quantum chemistry.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Optical analogue of Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction in photonic graphene

The concept of gauge fields plays a significant role in many areas of physics from particle physics and cosmology to condensed matter systems, where gauge potentials are a natural consequence of electromagnetic fields acting on charged particles and are of central importance in topological states of matter. Here, we report on the experimental realization of a synthetic non-Abelian gauge field for photons in a honeycomb microcavity lattice. We show that the effective magnetic field associated with TE-TM splitting has the symmetry of Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction around Dirac points in the dispersion, and can be regarded as an SU(2) gauge field. The symmetry of the field is revealed in the optical spin Hall effect (OSHE), where under resonant excitation of the Dirac points precession of the photon pseudospin around the field direction leads to the formation of two spin domains. Furthermore, we observe that the Dresselhaus field changes its sign in the same Dirac valley on switching from s to p bands in good agreement with the tight binding modelling. Our work demonstrating a non-Abelian gauge field for light on the microscale paves the way towards manipulation of photons via spin on a chip.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Spontaneous topological transitions in a honeycomb lattice of exciton-polariton condensates due to spin bifurcations

We theoretically explore nonresonantly pumped polaritonic graphene, a system consisting of a honeycomb lattice of micropillars in the regime of strong light-matter coupling. We demonstrate that, depending on the parameters of the structure, such as intensity of the pump and coupling strength between the pillars, the system shows rich variety of macroscopic ordering, including analogs of ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and resonant valence bond phases. Transitions between these phases are associated with dramatic reshaping of the spectrum of the system connected with spontaneous appearance of topological order.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Resonant excitation of acoustic waves in one-dimensional exciton-polariton systems

We analyze the interaction of exciton-polariton condensates in a one-dimensional semiconductor microcavity with acoustic phonons. We consider the case of a coherently pumped condensate and demonstrate that upon passing of a certain threshold the parametric instability in the system leads to the generation of a coherent acoustic wave and additional polariton harmonics. The process is strongly affected by exciton-exciton interactions which lead to the appearance of the effects of the bistability and hysteresis in the system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Optically trapped polariton condensates as semiclassical time crystals

We analyse nonequilibrium phase transitions in microcavity polariton condensates trapped in optically induced annular potentials. We develop an analytic model for annular optical traps, which gives an intuitive interpretation for recent experimental observations on the polariton spatial mode switching with variation of the trap size. In the vicinity of polariton lasing threshold we then develop a nonlinear mean-field model accounting for interactions and gain saturation, and identify several bifurcation scenarios leading to formation of high angular momentum quantum vortices. For experimentally relevant parameters we predict the emergence of spatially and temporally ordered polariton condensates (time crystals), which can be witnessed by frequency combs in the polariton lasing spectrum or by direct time-resolved optical emission measurements. In contrast to previous realizations, our polaritonic time crystal is spontaneously formed from an incoherent excitonic bath and does not inherit its frequency from any periodic driving field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Topological Metamaterials based on polariton rings

Chern insulator phase is shown to emerge in two-dimensional arrays of polariton rings where time-reversal symmetry is broken due to the application of an out-of-plane magnetic field. The interplay of Zeeman splitting with the photonic analog of spin-orbit coupling (TE-TM splitting) inherently present in this system leads to the appearance of synthetic U(1) gauge field and the opening of topologically nontrivial spectral gaps. This results in the onset of topologically protected chiral edge states similar to those forming in quantum Hall effect. In one dimensional zigzag arrays of polariton rings edge states similar to those appearing in Su-SchriefferHeeger (SSH) model are formed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Spontaneous polariton currents in periodic lateral chains

We predict spontaneous generation of superfluid polariton currents in planar microcavities with lateral periodic modulation of both potential and decay rate. A spontaneous breaking of spatial inversion symmetry of a polariton condensate emerges at a critical pumping, and the current direction is stochastically chosen. We analyse the stability of the current with respect to the fluctuations of the condensate. A peculiar spatial current domain structure emerges, where the current direction is switched at the domain walls, and the characteristic domain size and lifetime scale with the pumping power.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Hanle model of a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate of excitons in semiconductor quantum wells

We present a theoretical model of a driven-dissipative spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate of indirect excitons in semiconductor quantum wells (QW's). Our steady-state solution of the problem shares analogies with the Hanle effect in an optical orientation experiment. The role of the spin pump in our case is played by boson stimulated scattering into the linearly-polarized ground state and the depolarization occurs as a result of long-range exchange interaction between electrons and holes. Our theory agrees with the recent experiment [A. A. High et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 246403 (2013)], where spontaneous emergence of spatial coherence and polarization texture have been observed. As a complementary test, we discuss a configuration where an external magnetic field is applied in the structure plane.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

Drag of electrons in graphene by substrate surface polar phonons

It is known that electron scattering by surface polar phonons (SPPs) of the substrate reduces their mobility in supported graphene. However, there is no experimental evidence for contribution of drag of electrons by SPP to thermoelectric phenomena in graphene: graphene thermopower exhibits good agreement with Mott's law, which means that the diffusion contribution to the thermopower is dominant in a wide range of carrier densities and temperatures. Here we develop a complete theory of drag of electrons in graphene by SPP. By solving Boltzmann transport equation for electrons scattered by SPPs we derive SPP drag contribution to the thermopower in graphene. Compared to diffusion thermopower, obtained values appear to be one order of magnitude lower for various substrates. This can be explained by low occupation number of the SPPs and short mean free path of such phonons stemming from their small group velocity. We conclude that experiments on thermopower in graphene can be treated within the framework of Mott's law.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Kibble-Zurek mechanism in topologically non-trivial zigzag chains of polariton micropillars

We consider a zigzag chain of coupled micropillar cavities, taking into account the polarization of polariton states. We show that the TE-TM splitting of photonic cavity modes yields topologically protected polariton edge states. During the strongly non-adiabatic process of polariton condensation, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism leads to a random choice of polarization, equivalent to dimerization of polymer chains. We show that dark-bright solitons appear as domain walls between polarization domains, analogous to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger solitons in polymers. The soliton density scales as a power law with respect to the quenching parameter.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Superconductivity in Semiconductor Structures: the Excitonic Mechanism

We study theoretically the effect of the fermion and boson densities on the superconductivity transition critical temperature $(T_c)$ of a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG), where superconductivity is mediated by a Bose-Einstein condensate of exciton-polaritons. The critical temperature is found to increase with the boson density, but surprisingly it decreases with the 2DEG density increase. This makes doped semiconductor structures with shallow Fermi energies better adapted for observation of the exciton-induced superconductivity than metallic layers. For the realistic GaAs-based microcavities containing-doped and neutral quantum wells we estimate $T_c$ as close to 50K. Superconductivity is suppressed by magnetic fields of the order of 4T due to the Fermi surface renormalisation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗