SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

P. Comaron

Publications and source records attributed to P. Comaron.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Dissipation-enhanced vortex clustering in a compressible quantum fluid

Vortex clustering is commonly associated with conservative two-dimensional quantum-fluid dynamics. Therefore, particle loss is mainly expected to limit clustering by shortening the time available for vortex correlations to develop. Here we show instead that particle loss can enhance transient vortex clustering beyond the conservative evolution. We numerically study freely decaying, confined two-dimensional condensates initialized with random distributions of vortices and antivortices, and find a pronounced nonmonotonic dependence of the maximum clustering on particle lifetime. The enhancement is strongest at intermediate particle-loss rates, where loss-induced background rarefaction and incompressible kinetic energy relaxation occur on comparable timescales. Our results identify a finite dynamical window, selected by linear particle loss, in which a confined compressible quantum fluid develops stronger same-sign vortex correlations than in the conservative limit.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Coherence of a non-equilibrium polariton condensate across the interaction-mediated phase transition

The emergence of spatial coherence in a confined two-dimensional Bose gas of exciton-polaritons with tuneable interactions offers a unique opportunity to explore the role of interactions in a phase transition in a driven-dissipative quantum system, where both the phase transition and thermalisation are mediated by interactions. We investigate, experimentally and numerically, the phase correlations and steady-state properties of the gas over a wide range of interaction strengths by varying the photonic/excitonic fraction of the polaritons and their density. We find that the first order spatial coherence function exhibits algebraic decay consistent with the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition. Surprisingly, the exponent of the algebraic decay is inversely proportional to the coherent density of polaritons, in analogy to equilibrium superfluids above the BKT transition, but with a different proportionality constant. Our work paves the way for future investigations of the phenomenon of phase transitions and superfluidity in a driven-dissipative setting

cond-mat.quant-gas

Dynamics of Onsager vortex clustering in decaying turbulent polariton quantum fluids

We investigate the turbulent properties of a confined driven-dissipative polariton quantum fluid after a pulsed excitation. Using numerical simulations, we provide insight into the vortex clustering processes that emerge during the relaxation dynamics of the initially injected vortex cloud. A confrontation between conservative and non-conservative dynamics reveals that the onset of clusterization strongly depends on the interplay between the different characteristic system lengths and time scales at stake, with an additional time scale due to dissipation in the non-conservative case. Quantification of the clustering observables allows us to numerically characterize the optimal conditions for observing Onsager condensation in decaying polariton systems, demonstrating its experimental reachability under pulse excitation. These findings hold significance for exploring the onset of turbulent dynamics in open systems, spanning both classical and quantum domains.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Full and fractional defects across the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in a driven-dissipative spinor quantum fluid

We investigate the properties of a two-dimensional \emph{spinor} microcavity polariton system driven by a linearly polarised continuous pump. In particular, we establish the role of the elementary excitations, namely the so-called half-vortices and full-vortices; these objects carry a quantum rotation only in one of the two, or both, spin components respectively. Our numerical analysis of the steady-state shows that it is only the half-vortices that are present in the vortex-antivortex pairing/dissociation responsible for the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. These are the relevant elementary excitations close to the critical point. However, by exploring the phase-ordering dynamics following a sudden quench across the transition we prove that full-vortices become the relevant excitations away from the critical point in a deep quasi-ordered state at late times. The time-scales for half-vortices binding into full vortices are much faster than the vortex-antivortex annihilations.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Persistent, controllable circulation of a polariton ring condensate

Persistent circulation is a canonical effect of superfluidity. In previous experiments, quantized circulation has been observed in polariton condensates, usually far from equilibrium, but persistent current in the absence of any stirring has not been seen. We report here the direct observation of persistent circulation of a polariton condensate with no driving force and with no observable change in time. We can cause the condensate to circulate in either direction on demand using a short laser pulse, after which the condensate continues to circulate for dozens to hundreds of rotations around a ring trap without any further stimulation. Our theoretical model successfully shows how the pulse, despite not carrying any angular momentum, causes the circulation.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Unconventional Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition in the Multicomponent Polariton System

We study a four-component polariton system in the optical parametric oscillator regime consisting of exciton/photon and signal/idler modes across the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition. We show that all four components share the same BKT critical point, and algebraic decay of spatial coherence with the same critical exponent. However, while the collective excitations in different components are strongly locked, both close to and far from criticality, the spontaneous creation of topological defects in the vicinity of the phase transition is found to be largely independent of the inter-component mode locking, and instead strongly dependent on the density within a given mode. This peculiar characteristic allows us to reveal a novel state of matter, characterised by configurations of topological defects proliferating on top of a superfluid with algebraic decay of coherence, observation of which is demonstrated to be within reach of current experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Onset of vortex clustering and inverse energy cascade in dissipative quantum fluids

Turbulent phenomena are among the most striking effects that both classical and quantum fluids can exhibit. While classical turbulence is ubiquitous in nature, the observation of quantum turbulence requires the precise manipulation of quantum fluids such as superfluid helium or atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. In this work we demonstrate the turbulent dynamics of a 2D quantum fluid of exciton-polaritons, hybrid light-matter quasiparticles, both by measuring the kinetic energy spectrum and showing the onset of vortex clustering. We demonstrate that the formation of clusters of quantum vortices is triggered by the increase of the incompressible kinetic energy per vortex, showing the tendency of the vortex-gas towards highly excited configurations despite the dissipative nature of our system. These results lay the basis for the investigations of quantum turbulence in two-dimensional fluids of light.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Kibble-Zurek mechanism in driven-dissipative systems crossing a non-equilibrium phase transition

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism constitutes one of the most fascinating and universal phenomena in the physics of critical systems. It describes the formation of domains and the spontaneous nucleation of topological defects when a system is driven across a phase transition exhibiting spontaneous symmetry breaking. While a characteristic dependence of the defect density on the speed at which the transition is crossed was observed in a vast range of equilibrium condensed matter systems, its extension to intrinsically driven-dissipative systems is a matter of ongoing research. In this work we numerically confirm the Kibble-Zurek mechanism in a paradigmatic family of driven-dissipative quantum systems, namely exciton-polaritons in microcavities. Our findings show how the concepts of universality and critical dynamics extend to driven-dissipative systems that do not conserve energy or particle number nor satisfy a detailed balance condition.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Dynamical critical exponents in driven-dissipative quantum systems

We study the phase-ordering of parametrically and incoherently driven microcavity polaritons after an infinitely rapid quench across the critical region. We confirm that the system, despite its driven-dissipative nature, fulfils dynamical scaling hypothesis for both driving schemes by exhibiting self-similar patterns for the two-point correlator at late times of the phase ordering. We show that polaritons are characterised by the dynamical critical exponent z ~ 2 with topological defects playing a fundamental role in the dynamics, giving logarithmic corrections both to the power-law decay of the number of vortices and to the associated growth of the characteristic length-scale.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Collective modes in the anisotropic unitary Fermi gas and the inclusion of a backflow term

We study the collective modes of the confined unitary Fermi gas under anisotropic harmonic confinement as a function of the number of atoms. We use the equations of extended superfluid hydrodynamics, which take into account a dispersive von Weizsacker-like term in the equaton of state. We also discuss the inclusion of a backflow term in the extended superfluid Lagrangian and the effects of this anomalous term on sound waves and Beliaev damping of phonons.

cond-mat.quant-gas