arXiv subjects

Pavlos G. Lagoudakis

Publications and source records attributed to Pavlos G. Lagoudakis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Thresholdless corner vortex solitons in fractal Sierpiński topological insulators

Quantized vortices are ubiquitous in physics, spanning superconductivity, astrophysics, superfluid condensed matter systems, and nonlinear optics. Yet embedding vorticity into topologically protected nonlinear states has remained a major challenge, with all previously observed corner solitons in higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs) exhibiting only trivial phase distributions. Here, we report on the first realization of stable topological corner vortex solitons in a photonic fractal HOTI. Using an array of laser-written waveguides in the shape of Sierpiński gasket with a controllable distortion, we design linear topological vortex modes, from which nonlinear corner vortex solitons bifurcate. Moreover, we demonstrate that these solitons exhibit exceptional robustness across a broad power range and, unlike vortex solitons in topologically trivial lattices, form without a power threshold. Our results introduce the angular momentum degree of freedom into the physics of topological corner modes, opening prospects for topologically protected vortex-based photonics.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Mapping the strong-to-weak coupling crossover in polymer-film microcavity lasers

Organic semiconductors are particularly attractive for polaritonics due to their large exciton binding energies and oscillator strengths. Among them, the ladder-type conjugated polymer poly(paraphenylene) is distinguished by its rigid backbone, narrow exciton linewidth, high photoluminescence quantum yield, and enhanced photostability, making it an excellent candidate for organic polariton devices. While polariton lasing has been reported in various organic systems, systematic studies of the transition from polariton lasing to conventional photon lasing within a single, well-controlled material platform remain limited. Here, we present planar organic microcavities incorporating MeLPPP as the active medium, in which continuous tuning of the effective cavity length within a single device enables us to map the strong-to-weak coupling transition across five distinct cavity-mode orders. We demonstrate an approximately eighteen-fold increase in the lasing threshold when crossing from polariton to photon lasing. We further establish a quantitative framework in which the spectral dependence of the threshold governs a universal V-shaped blueshift of the emission energy across both coupling regimes. Finally, we show that vibron-mediated exciton relaxation, previously identified in the strong-coupling limit, persists across the crossover: lasing-threshold minima track the vibron resonances throughout the coupling transition.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Observation of an aperiodic polariton monotile

A plethora of unconventional localization phenomena and fractal features of linear spectrum observed in quasiperiodic structures have been accompanied by a long-standing quest for the geometrical elements and structures that permit tilings of the plane, but only in a non-periodic manner. Until 2024, it was believed that such quasiperiodic structures, or quasicrystals, could only be composed of at least two different tiles. Surprisingly, a newly discovered class of quasicrystals requires only one elementary monotile. However, its physical realization and study of propagating coherent excitations in this novel setting remained elusive. Here we optically sculpt aperiodic quasicrystals composed of "einstein" monotiles in an inorganic microcavity and observe nontrivial relative phases of the exciton-polariton condensates nonresonantly excited at the vertices of each monotile. Utilizing energy-resolved tomography in momentum-space, we reveal the formation of distinct Bragg peaks with six-fold symmetry and Dirac-like spectral fingerprints, intrinsic to the underlying graphene-like structure, while interferometric phase reconstruction shows a nontrivial synchronization pattern distinct from both periodic triangular lattices and Penrose quasicrystals. Our work demonstrates that monotiles can be converted into a programmable driven-dissipative artificial material, where long-range coherence coexists with enforced geometric aperiodicity, producing synchronization and spectral responses distinct from both periodic and conventional quasicrystalline tilings.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

Kardar-Parisi-Zhang physics in optically-confined continuous polariton condensates

Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) scaling has been observed in discrete polariton lattices, enabled by engineered band structures that stabilize the condensate. Whether this universality extends to intrinsically continuous systems with natural noise regularization remains an open question. We propose and numerically demonstrate KPZ scaling in a continuous quasi-one-dimensional polariton condensate stabilized by optical confinement in the transversal direction. Large-scale simulations of the stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation, with experimentally relevant parameters, reveal temporal and spatial scaling exponents of the two-point phase correlation function betaC = 0.30(5) and alfaC =0.46(8), and Tracy-Widom one-point phase fluctuation statistics, yielding robust KPZ dynamics intrinsic to the continuous polariton fluid.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2026

Single-Shot Flow Spectroscopy of a Polariton Condensate: Kibble-Zurek and Kolmogorov-Like Scaling

Quantized vortices are fundamental topological excitations of quantum fluids. We report single-shot interferometric measurements of spontaneous vortex nucleation in a room-temperature organic exciton-polariton condensate. From hundreds of independent realizations we find random vortex-core positions and unbiased circulation, consistent with intrinsically stochastic, unpinned defect formation. The mean vortex number scales with pump power above threshold with an exponent consistent with Kibble-Zurek freeze-out in a driven-dissipative condensate. Using reconstructed phase maps we obtain single-shot flow fields, compute the incompressible component, and extract kinetic-energy spectra. Vortex-containing realizations develop a robust Kolmogorov-like segment with Einc(k) proportional to k^(-5/3) over a finite k range, indicating the onset of turbulent spectral scaling in a quantum fluid of light. These results establish single-shot access to phase and flow as a direct route to quantifying stochastic defect formation and emerging turbulence in polariton condensates.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Non-epitaxial perovskite polariton laser diode operating under direct current

Reaching lasing in electrically pumped microdevices based on solution-processed semiconductors poses a major scientific and technological challenge. Halide perovskites offer a promising platform for electrical injection, since their optically excited single-crystal cavities and predesigned or postprocessed microstructures have exhibited low lasing threshold. Indirect electrical pumping of a dual-cavity perovskite laser was recently obtained, utilizing a well-established technological concept of embedding a high-luminosity light-emitting diode (LED) with a high-gain medium into an integrated device. Direct charge-carrier injection into a perovskite LED excited by auxiliary short-, optical-pulses resulted into amplified spontaneous emission. Other efforts for rational engineering of architectures that allow for high charge-carrier density are still to demonstrate lasing. Here, we develop a novel strategy for achieving direct electrical pumping of a perovskite laser. We integrate a solution-grown CsPbBr3 microplate with chemically inert single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes and embed them into an optical microcavity. By cooling the microdevice down to 8 K at a constant current, a perovskite p-i-n diode is formed that facilitates a balanced carrier injection at high current densities. The perovskite microcavity diode operates in the strong coupling regime, exhibiting polariton lasing under a direct current of 65 uA.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Observation of σ-πcoupling and mode selection in optically trapped artificial polariton molecules

Microcavity exciton-polariton condensates under additional transverse confinement constitute a flexible optical platform to study the coupling mechanism between confined nonequilibrium and nonlinear states of matter. Driven far from equilibrium, polariton condensates can display spontaneous synchronization and instabilities depending on excitation and material parameters, showcasing emergent and intricate interference patterns based on mode competition over mutual gain landscapes. Here, we explore this coupling mechanism between polariton condensates populating the first excited ${\it p}$-state manifold of coupled optically trapped condensates and show a rich structure of patterns based on excitation parameters. The optical reconfigurability of the laser excitation patterns enables the creation of an annular-shaped beam to confine polaritons in a tailored trapping potential, whilst the dissipative nature of the optical traps enables effective interaction with neighboring condensates. Our results underpin the potential role of polariton condensates in exploring and simulating $σ$ and $π$ molecular bonding mechanisms between artificial two-dimensional diatomic orbitals and beyond.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Tailoring the resonant spin response of a stirred polariton condensate

We report on the enhancement of the spin coherence time (T2) by almost an order-of-magnitude in exciton-polariton condensates through driven spin precession resonance. Using a rotating optical trap formed by a bichromatic laser excitation, we synchronize the trap stirring frequency with the condensate intrinsic Larmor precession, achieving an order of magnitude increase in spin coherence. By tuning the optical trap profile via excitation lasers intensity, we precisely control the resonance width. Here we present a theoretical model that explains our experimental findings in terms of the mutual synchronization of the condensate circular polarization components. Our findings underpin the potential of polariton condensates for spinoptronic devices and quantum technologies.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

A Fourier Neural Operator Approach for Modelling Exciton-Polariton Condensate Systems

A plethora of next-generation all-optical devices based on exciton-polaritons have been proposed in latest years, including prototypes of transistors, switches, analogue quantum simulators and others. However, for such systems consisting of multiple polariton condensates, it is still challenging to predict their properties in a fast and accurate manner. The condensate physics is conventionally described by Gross-Pitaevskii equations (GPEs). While GPU-based solvers currently exist, we propose a significantly more efficient machine-learning-based Fourier neural operator approach to find the solution to the GPE coupled with exciton rate equations, trained on both numerical and experimental datasets. The proposed method predicts solutions almost three orders of magnitude faster than CUDA-based solvers in numerical studies, maintaining the high degree of accuracy. Our method not only accelerates simulations but also opens the door to faster, more scalable designs for all-optical chips and devices, offering profound implications for quantum computing, neuromorphic systems, and beyond.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Temporal bandwidth of consecutive polariton condensation

The advent of organic polaritonics has led to the realisation of all-optical transistors, logic gates, and single photon-switches operating at room temperature. In this Letter, we develop a microscopic theory accounting for thermalisation, vibron-relaxation, and radiative and ballistic polariton losses to investigate the intrinsic limitations of the temporal separation of consecutive polariton condensates. We test and verify our theoretical predictions using an optical pump-pump configuration with different pulse width and unravel the importance of lateral ballistic losses in defining the upper limit of the temporal bandwidth, reaching ~240 GHz.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Quantum Fluids of Light in 2D Artificial Reconfigurable Aperiodic Crystals with Tailored Coupling

Aperiodic crystals are the intermediates between strictly periodic crystalline matter and amorphous solids. The lack of translational symmetry combined with intrinsic long-range order endows aperiodic crystals with unique physical characteristics, while at the same time dramatically enriching the spectrum and localization properties. Here, we demonstrate exciton-polariton condensation in a two-dimensional Penrose tiling with $C_{10}$ rotational symmetry - the first signature of quasicrystalline order in a quantum fluid of light. We identify a regime, wherein near-perfect delocalization and synchronization of a quantum fluid of light occurs at mesoscopic length-scales extending beyond 100x the healing length and the size of each individual condensate. Realizing long-range order in fully reconfigurable aperiodic crystals of nonlinear, and open-dissipative quantum fluids, lays the foundations for testing a broad range of universality classes of continuous phase transitions beyond the limits of mathematically verifiable models in regular lattices.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Antiferromagnetic Ising model in a triangular vortex lattice of quantum fluids of light

Vortices are topologically distinctive objects appearing as phase twists in coherent fields of optical beams and Bose-Einstein condensates. Structured networks and artificial lattices of coupled vortices could offer a powerful platform to study and simulate interaction mechanisms between constituents of condensed matter systems, such as antiferromagnetic interactions, by replacement of spin angular momentum with orbital angular momentum. Here, we realize such a platform using a macroscopic quantum fluid of light based on exciton-polariton condensates. We imprint all-optical hexagonal lattice that results into a triangular vortex lattice, with each cell having a vortex of charge l = +-1. We reveal that pairs of coupled condensates spontaneously arrange their orbital angular momentum antiparallel, implying a form of artificial orbital "antiferromagnetism". We discover that correlation exists between the emergent vortex patterns in triangular condensate lattices and the low-energy solutions of the corresponding antiferromagnetic Ising system. Our study offers a path toward spontaneously ordered vortex arrays with nearly arbitrary configurations and controlled couplings.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Occupancy-driven Zeeman suppression and inversion in trapped polariton condensates

We study the magneto-photoluminescence of an optically trapped exciton-polariton condensate in a planar semiconductor microcavity with multiple In0.08Ga0.92As quantum wells. Extremely high condensate coherence time and continuous control over the polariton confinement are among the advantages provided by optical trapping. This allows us to resolve magnetically induced μeV fine-energy shifts in the condensate and identify unusual dynamical regions in its parameter space. We observe polariton Zeeman splitting and, in small traps with tight confinement, demonstrate its full parametric screening when the condensate density exceeds a critical value, reminiscent of the spin-Meissner effect. For larger optical traps, we observe a complete inversion in the Zeeman splitting as a function of power, underlining the importance of condensate confinement and interactions with its background reservoir excitons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Next nearest neighbour coupling with spinor polariton condensates

We report on experimental observation of next-nearest-neighbour coupling between ballistically expanding spinor exciton-polariton condensates in a planar semiconductor microcavity. All-optical control over the coupling strength between neighbouring condensates is demonstrated through distance-periodic pseudospin screening of their ballistic particle outflow due to the inherent splitting of the planar cavity transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) modes. By screening the nearest-neighbour coupling we overcome the conventional spatial coupling hierarchy between condensates. This offers a promising route towards creating unconventional non-planar many-body Hamiltonians using networks of ballistically expanding spinor exciton-polariton condensates.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Directional planar antennae in polariton condensates

We report on the realization of all-optical planar microlensing for exciton-polariton condensates in semiconductor microcavities. We utilize spatial light modulators to structure a nonresonant pumping beam into a planoconcave lens-shape focused onto the microcavity plane. When pumped above condensation threshold, the system effectively becomes a directional polariton antenna, generating an intense focused beam of coherent polaritons away from the pump region. The effects of pump intensity, which regulates the interplay between gain and blueshift of polaritons, as well as the geometry of lens-shaped pump are studied and a strategy to optimize the focusing of the condensate is proposed. Our work underpins the feasibility to guide nonlinear light in microcavities using nonresonant excitation schemes, offering perspectives on optically reprogrammable on-chip polariton circuitry.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Vortex clusters in a stirred polariton condensate

The response of superfluids to the external rotation, evidenced by emergence of quantised vortices, distinguishes them from conventional fluids. In this work, we demonstrate that the number of vortices in a stirred polariton condensate depends on the characteristic size of the employed rotating potential induced by the nonresonant laser excitation. For smaller sizes, a single vortex with a topological charge of +-1 corresponding to the stirring direction is formed. However, for larger optical traps, clusters of two or three co-rotating vortices appear in the narrow range of GHz stirring speed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Optically driven spin precession in polariton condensates

External driving of spinor degrees of freedom by magnetic or optical fields in quantum systems underpin many applications ranging from nuclear magnetic resonance to coherent state control in quantum computing. Although spinor polariton condensates are offering a flexible platform for spinoptronic applications, strong inter-particle interactions limit their spin coherence. Here, we introduce an all-optically driven spin precession in microcavity polariton condensates that eliminates depolarisation, through a radio frequency modulation of a spatially rotating, asymmetric exciton reservoir that both confines, and actively replenishes the polariton condensate. We realise several GHz driven spin precession with a macroscopic spin coherence time that is limited only by the extraneous to the condensate, frequency drift of the composite pumping sources. Our observations are supported by mean field modelling and evidence a driven-dissipative quantum fluidic analogue of the nuclear magnetic resonance effect.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Ultrafast optical control of polariton energy in an organic semiconductor microcavity

The manipulation of exciton-polaritons and their condensates is of great interest due to their applications in polariton simulators and high-speed, all-optical logic devices. Until now, methods of trapping and manipulating such condensates are not dynamically reconfigurable or result in an undesirable reduction in the exciton-photon coupling strength. Here, we present a new strategy for the ultrafast control of polariton resonances via transient modification of an optical cavity mode. We have constructed multilayer organic semiconductor microcavities that contain two absorbers: one strongly- and one weakly-coupled to the cavity photon mode. By selectively exciting the weakly-coupled absorber with ultrashort laser pulses, we modulate the cavity refractive index and generate fully-reversible blueshifts of the lower polariton branch by up to 8 meV in sub-ps timescales with no corresponding reduction in the exciton-photon coupling strength. Our work demonstrates the ability to manipulate polariton energy landscapes over ultrafast timescales with important applications in emerging computing technologies.

physics.optics↗