Effect of TE-TM Splitting on the topological stability of half-vortices in exciton-polariton condensates

Abstract

Half-vortices have been recently shown to be the elementary topological defects supported by a spinor cavity exciton-polaritons condensates with spin anisotropic interactions (Y. G. Rubo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 106401 (2007)). A half vortex is composed by an integer vortex for one circular component of the condensate, whereas the other component remain static. We analyze theoretically the effect of the splitting between TE and TM polarized eigen modes on the structure of the vortices in this system. For TE and TM modes, the polarization states depend on the direction of propagations of particles and imposes some well defined phase relation between the two circular component. As a result elementary topogical defects in this system are no more half vortices but integer vortices correspond to an integer vortex for both circular components of the condensate. The intrinsic life time of half vortices is given and the texture of a few vortex states is analyzed.