26

Evolution of a Nonequilibrium Polariton

Condensate
I. V. Beloussov and Yu. M. Shvera
Institute of Applied Physics
Academy of Sciences of Moldova
5 Academy Street, Kishinev
Moldova

Abstract

We review the theory of the polariton condensate taking into account

exciton-exciton interactions.

It is known [1] that coherent electromagnetic radiation resonant with an

isolated exciton energy level excites in the crystal a coherent polariton
wave with the wave vector ko i= 0 — the non-equilibrium polariton
condensate. Different scattering processes accompanying its propagation
lead to the loss of the initial coherence of the polariton wave, complete
or partial depletion of the condensate, excitation of polaritons with wave
vector k ^ 0, and other phenomena.
In the present paper the effect of exciton-exciton scattering processes
on the properties of a coherently excited polariton system are discussed.
This scattering mechanism is of considerable interest due to recent experi-
mental investigations [2] and many interesting results (see e.g. Refs. [3,4])
obtained in theoretical study of dynamic and kinetic processes in a system
of interacting polaritons.
According to Refs. [4, 5], exciton-exciton scattering is very important
when coherent polaritons are excited in a certain spectral region in which
energy and momentum conservation laws allow real processes of two-
quantum excitation of polaritons from the condensate. These processes
lead to the instability of the condensed state of the polariton system.
The existence of this spectral region situated around the isolated exciton
resonance is due to the peculiarities of the polariton dispersion relation.
In [5] the energy spectrum of non-condensate polaritons, arising as
the result of decay of the coherent polariton wave, is studied. According
to [5], in some regions of k-space the polariton modes will be damped.

513
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 514 I. V. Beloussov and Yu. M. Shvera
The investigation reported in [5] was based on a model formally analo-
gous to that used by N.N. Bogoliubov in Ref. [6] to study the equilibrium
system of a weakly non-ideal Bose gas. In the non-equilibrium situation
considered in [5], in which decay of the polariton condensate and exci-
tation of non-condensate polaritons take place, this model is adequate
for the experimental situation only at the initial stage of the condensate
decay, when the number of condensate polaritons is still much greater
than the total number of non-condensate polaritons. The system is es-
sentially non-stationary, while a real energy spectrum implies a steady
state of the system (see e.g. Ref. [7], p.46). Thus the results of Refs. [4, 5]
for the polariton energy spectrum based on the above-mentioned model
are only approximate.
Because of the essential non-stationarity of the processes in the system,
the methods of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics must be used to
describe it adequately. The derivation of equations that describe the
kinetics of the polariton condensate decay and the excitation of quantum
fluctuations have some specific features due to the degeneracy in the
system. As the energy and wavevector of two non-condensate polaritons
can be equal to the energy and wavevector of two condensate polaritons,
respectively, there is degeneracy of two-particle states. Moreover, the
presence of the condensate in the system also leads to degeneracy due to
its macroscopic amplitude [8].
The correct description of the system with degeneracy requires the
introduction of abnormal (or off-diagonal) distribution functions [9]
an<
l ^k = (^k^ko-k), together with the usual (normal) ones
). Here ®jj~(<l>k) are Bose operators of creation (annihilation)
of a polariton on the lower branch with wave vector k. The appearance of
abnormal averages and the coherent part of the polariton field indicates
a breaking of the selection rules connected with the gauge invariance
of the system [9-11]. It can take place as a result of the action of
external classical sources, spontaneously, or because of non-invariant
initial conditions due to the action of external sources.
An earlier attempt to obtain kinetic equations for polaritons excited in
semiconductors by an external classical field has been given in Refs. [12,
13]. However, in this work the degeneracy of two-particle states was
not taken into account, and the abnormal distribution functions Ft were
not introduced. As a result, one expects that the equations obtained in
Refs. [12, 13] will lead to unphysical singularities.
Kinetic equations describing the evolution of partially coherent polari-
tons which take into account the degeneracy were obtained in [14, 15]

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 Evolution of a Nonequilibrium Polariton Condensate 515
using the Keldysh method [16], presented in terms of functionals. They
coincide with the equations obtained in [17] using the non-equilibrium
statistical operator method [J8] and do not possess unphysical singu-
larities. One can find extended versions of Refs. [14, 15, 17] in Refs.
[19-21].
According to Refs. [15, 17], the kinetics of partially coherent polaritons
are described in the Born approximation by a closed set of nonlinear
integro-differential equations for the coherent part of polariton field ^ ^
and the normal n^ = N^ — ^kj^kol 2 and abnormal /k = F^ — ^Fj^
distribution functions. In the absence of quantum fluctuations described
by the functions n^ and /k, the equations become identities, and the
equation for ^Fka (a = 1,2 is the label of the polariton branch) coincides
with that obtained in Ref. [22] for a interacting system of coherent
excitons and photons. In the case when *Fko = 0 and /k = 0, the
equations obtained in [15, 17] reduce to the usual kinetic equation for
the distribution function N^ (see e.g. Ref. [23]).
The right-hand sides of the equations obtained in [15, 17] include terms
linear in the exciton-exciton interaction strength v, and terms propor-
tional to v2. Terms proportional to v correspond to the self-consistent
field approximation (SCFA), which neglects the higher correlation func-
tions. This approximation is sufficient to describe the initial stage of
evolution. It is shown [15] that depletion of the coherent part ^F^ a n d
excitation of quantum fluctuations n^ and / ^ in the condensate mode
occurs at this stage. Thus it partially loses its coherence. There exist two
regions of wave vector k ^ ko. In the first one, describing the instability
region, the number of polaritons increases monotonically; in the second
one, it is a periodic function of time with an amplitude decreasing with
the distance from the instability region.
As usual, the terms proportional to v2 describe the difference between
the number of processes (per unit of time) of polariton creation and
annihilation in a state with wavevector k. They only arise if non-
condensate polaritons exist in the system. They describe the evolution
which is slower than that described by terms proportional to v, which
correspond to resonant scattering with participation of two condensate
polaritons.
It should be mentioned that the SCFA takes into account the influence
of the excited non-condensate polaritons on the condensate. On the
other hand, it describes the fastest processes in the system. So one should
expect the establishment of steady state in the isolated polariton system
after the time interval T ~ h/vn (n is the condensate initial density).

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 516 I. V. Beloussov and Yu. M. Shvera
Terms in the kinetic equations proportional to v2 are responsible for its
further evolution.
Using considerations similar to those used in [24], we have found the
exact steady-state solution of the evolution equations given by the SCFA.
Formally, it has the following nature. In the Heisenberg representation,
the SCFA corresponds to the Hamiltonian [15] which has operator
terms O£^io-k w ^^ time-dependent coefficients £ = ^F^ + A (here
A = J2kfa)- A t t h e initial stage of evolution, when I^FkJ2 > |A|,
these terms are responsible for the appearance and development of the
polariton condensate instability [4, 5]. In the steady state, the two terms
in £, cancel each other, so that { = 0. Thus these terms disappear from
the Hamiltonian.
We note that in [4, 5], the influence of non-condensate polaritons on the
condensate was not taken into account, and the term A in the expression
for £ did not appear. As a result, in [4, 5] the possibility of obtaining a
steady-state solution, which is the result of mutual compensation of ^Fj^
and A, did not exist.
From the physical point of view, the results obtained here mean
that while the condensate is being depleted, and polaritons are being
excited in the instability region (modified by the concentration-dependent
corrections), the backward processes (in which scattering of two non-
condensate polaritons creates two polaritons in the condensate) become
more important. It results in slowing down of the parametric instability,
and finally in the establishment of a steady state. This state corresponds
to a dynamic equilibrium between the condensate and non-condensate
polaritons.
The steady state is characterized by the renormalized frequency of the
polariton condensate hco^ = hQ,^ + yjlvno and renormalized energies of
non-condensate polaritons E^ = hQ^ + 2vno (here Q^ is the frequency
of non-interacting polaritons). This result differs crucially from that
obtained in [4, 5]. Distribution functions of non-condensate polaritons
are localized in the regions of k-space, as determined by the resonant
condition E^ + £2ko-k — 2fta>ko = 0-
Future investigations of this problem require numerical analysis of the
set of integro-differential equations corresponding to the SCFA. Another
important problem, in our opinion, is the study of polariton kinetics
under the action of an external field.

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 Evolution of a Nonequilibrium Polariton Condensate 517
We wish to thank Dr. A. Ivanov and Dr. S. Tikhodeev for helpful
discussions.

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Cambridge Core terms of use, available Books Online © Cambridge University
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