Nonlinear Dynamics of Exciton-Polariton Condensates in a One-Dimensional Lattice

Abstract

We consider the problem of exciton-polariton-condensate formation in a semiconductor microcavity in the strong coupling regime. The condensate is confined in a one-dimensional periodic potential and coupled to an exciton reservoir that is formed by the external cw pumping. The condensate dynamics is studied in the center and in the edges of the Brillouin zone (BZ). Modeling the formation of the condensate from weak initial noise shows that besides steady states the macroscopic oscillations of polariton density can also occur. Within the framework of the mean field approach, we obtain important analytic relations for the condensate eigenstates using the developed simplified model for three coupled spatial harmonics. A numerical analysis verifies the correctness of the analytic results.