Continuous wave observation of massive polariton redistribution by stimulated scattering in semiconductor microcavities
A massive redistribution of the polariton occupancy to two specific wave vectors, zero and approximately 3.9x10(4) cm(-1), is observed under conditions of continuous wave excitation of a semiconductor microcavity. The "condensation" of the polaritons to the two specific states arises from stimulated scattering at final state occupancies of order unity. The stimulation phenomena, arising due to the bosonic character of the polariton quasiparticles, occur for conditions of resonant excitation of the lower polariton branch. High energy nonresonant excitation, as in most previous work, instead leads to conventional lasing in the vertical cavity structure.
Stevenson
RM
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, United Kingdom.
Astratov
VN
Skolnick
MS
Whittaker
DM
Emam-Ismail
M
Tartakovskii
AI
Savvidis
PG
Baumberg
JJ
Roberts
JS