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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Dynamics of Onsager vortex clustering in decaying turbulent polariton quantum fluids

P. Comaron1,2,3,*, R. Panico1, D. Ballarini1, and M. Matuszewski2,4

  • *Contact author: paolo.comaron@cnr.it
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022006 – Published 4 April, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.L022006

Abstract

We investigate the turbulent properties of a confined driven-dissipative polariton quantum fluid after a pulsed excitation. Using numerical simulations, we provide insight into the vortex clustering processes that emerge during the relaxation dynamics of the initially injected vortex cloud in a compressible quantum fluid. A confrontation between conservative and nonconservative dynamics reveals that the onset of clusterization strongly depends on the interplay between the different characteristic system length scales and timescales at stake, with an additional timescale due to dissipation in the nonconservative case. Quantification of the clustering observables allows us to numerically characterize the optimal conditions for observing Onsager condensation in decaying polariton systems, demonstrating its experimental reachability under pulse excitation. These findings hold significance for exploring the onset of turbulent dynamics in open and compressible systems, spanning both classical and quantum domains.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L022006– Published 4 April, 2025
  • Received 15 April 2024
  • Accepted 5 March 2025
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