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Transition to a Bose–Einstein condensate and relaxation explosion of excitons at sub-Kelvin temperatures

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  • Kosuke Yoshioka

    (Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
    Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi)

  • Eunmi Chae

    (Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
    Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi
    Present address: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.)

  • Makoto Kuwata-Gonokami

    (Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
    Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi
    Photon Science Centre, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku)

Abstract

Quasiparticles in quantum many-body systems have essential roles in modern physical problems. Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) of excitons in semiconductors is one of the unobserved quantum statistical phenomena predicted in the photoexcited quasiparticles in many-body electrons. In particular, para-excitons in cuprous oxide have been studied for decades because the decoupling from the radiation field makes the coherent ensemble a purely matter-like wave. However, BEC has turned out to be hard to realize at superfluid liquid helium-4 temperatures due to a two-body inelastic collision process. It is therefore essential to set a lower critical density by further lowering the exciton temperature. Here we cool excitons to sub-Kelvin temperature and spatially confine them to realize the critical number for BEC. We show that BEC manifests itself as a relaxation explosion as has been discussed in atomic hydrogen. The results indicate that dilute excitons are purely bosonic and BEC indeed occurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Kosuke Yoshioka & Eunmi Chae & Makoto Kuwata-Gonokami, 2011. "Transition to a Bose–Einstein condensate and relaxation explosion of excitons at sub-Kelvin temperatures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 1-5, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:2:y:2011:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1335
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1335
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    Cited by:

    1. Yusuke Morita & Kosuke Yoshioka & Makoto Kuwata-Gonokami, 2022. "Observation of Bose-Einstein condensates of excitons in a bulk semiconductor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.

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