Quantum coherence in momentum space of light-matter condensates

We show that the use of momentum-space optical interferometry, which avoids any spatial overlap between two parts of a macroscopic quantum state, presents a unique way to study coherence phenomena in polariton condensates. In this way, we address the longstanding question in quantum mechanics: "...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Condensed matter and materials physics, 2014-08, Vol.90 (8), Article 081407
Main Authors: Antón, C., Tosi, G., Martín, M. D., Hatzopoulos, Z., Konstantinidis, G., Eldridge, P. S., Savvidis, P. G., Tejedor, C., Viña, L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coherence
Condensates
Condensed matter
Microcavities
Parks
Polaritons
Quantum mechanics
Semiconductors
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Summary:We show that the use of momentum-space optical interferometry, which avoids any spatial overlap between two parts of a macroscopic quantum state, presents a unique way to study coherence phenomena in polariton condensates. In this way, we address the longstanding question in quantum mechanics: "Do two components of a condensate, which have never seen each other, possess a definitive phase?" [P. W. Anderson, Basic Notions of Condensed Matter Physics (Benjamin Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, 1984)]. A positive answer to this question is experimentally obtained here for light-matter condensates, created under precise symmetry conditions, in semiconductor microcavities, taking advantage of the direct relation between the angle of emission and the in-plane momentum of polaritons.
ISSN:1098-0121
1550-235X
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.90.081407