Control of the oscillation frequency of a vortex cluster in the trapped polariton condensate

Abstract

An optically trapped exciton–polariton condensate forms states corresponding to excited energy levels of the confining potential. Recently, it was shown that non-uniformity of the ring-shaped trapping potential leads to the simultaneous occupation of two split energy levels. This results in the formation of an oscillating vortex cluster with periodically changing signs of topological charges. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the control of the topological charge oscillation frequency by tuning the ellipticity of the excitation profile. Our observations are corroborated using the linear Schrödinger equation for a two-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillator. Our findings open a promising avenue for the investigation of optical vorticity properties and their applications in controllable settings.