Phase-space views into dye-microcavity thermalized and condensed photons

Abstract

We have observed momentum- and position-resolved spectra and images of the photoluminescence from thermalized and condensed dye-microcavity photons. The spectra yield the dispersion relation and the potential energy landscape for the photons. From this dispersion relation, below condensation threshold, we find that the effective mass is that of a bare cavity photon, not a polariton. Above threshold, we place an upper bound on the dimensionless two-dimensional interaction strength of g10-3, which is compatible with existing estimates. Both photon-photon and photon-molecule interactions are weak. The temperature is found to be independent of momentum, but dependent on pump spot size, indicating that the system is ergodic but not perfectly at thermal equilibrium. Condensation always happens first in the mode with lowest potential and lowest kinetic energy, although at very high pump powers multimode condensation occurs into other modes.