The origin of KPZ-scaling in arrays of polariton condensates

Abstract

This work investigates the origin of Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) scaling in the phase dynamics of one-dimensional and two-dimensional polariton condensates. We demonstrate that the key mechanism leading to the observed power laws for the first-order correlation function $g^{(1)}$ is the fluctuation of the population of Goldstone modes, which arise due to the spontaneous breaking of $U(1)$ symmetry. Numerical simulations and analytical theory confirm that the critical exponents describing the KPZ universality class directly follow from the dynamics of Goldstone excitations. Our results establish a direct connection between the microscopic parameters of arrays of exciton-polariton condensates and the coherent properties of the light they emit.