Exciton-polariton ring Josephson junction

The macroscopic coherence of quantum fluids enables for the observation of interference effects in their wavefunctions and leads to practical applications based on Josephson tunnelling such as superconductor quantum interference devices. The Josephson effect manifests in both fermionic and bosonic systems and it has been extensively studied in superfluid helium and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. Exciton-polaritons can facilitate the transition to integrated semiconductor platforms, but realizing weak links in ring geometries has proven to be challenging. Here we realize a Josephson junction in a polariton ring condensate and, leveraging the optical control of the barrier, we impose a net circulation around the ring. Our experiments reveal two distinct regimes of the polariton weak link: a hydrodynamic regime with a linear relation between the phase jump at the barrier and the average current around the ring, and a Josephson regime characterised by a sinusoidal behaviour for which the mass transport through the barrier drops to zero. Our theory in terms of the 'tilted washboard' potential explains the appearance of these regimes from energy considerations using experimental values. These findings show that weak links in ring condensates can be investigated using all-optical configurations and hold potential for exploration even at room temperature.
Comment: Main text: 10 pages, 4 figures, and Supplementary Information: 7 pages, 5 figures