Dynamics and condensation of polaritons in an optical nanocavity coupled to two-dimensional materials

Maria Vittoria Gurrieri, Emil V. Denning, Kristian Seegert, Philip T. Kristensen, Jesper Mørk

Published 2023-12-15Version 1

We present a comprehensive investigation of the light-matter interaction dynamics in two-dimensional materials coupled with a spectrally isolated cavity mode in the strong coupling regime. The interaction between light and matter breaks the translational symmetry of excitons in the two-dimensional lattice and results in the emergence of a localized polariton state. Employing a novel approach involving transformation to exciton reaction coordinates, we derive a Markovian master equation to describe the formation of a macroscopic population in the localized polariton state. Our study shows that the construction of a large-scale polariton population is affected by correction terms addressing the breakdown of translational symmetry. Increasing the spatial width of the cavity mode increases the Coulomb scattering rates while the correction terms saturate and affect the system's dynamics progressively less. Tuning the lattice temperature can induce bistability and hysteresis with different origins than those recognized for quantum wells in larger microcavities. We identify a limit temperature $T_{\mathrm{l}}$ as a key factor for stimulated emissions and forming a macroscopic population, enriching our understanding of strong coupling dynamics in systems with extreme confinement.