Recent experiments on two-dimensional exciton systems have shown that excitons collect in shallow in-plane traps. We find that Bose condensation in a trap results in a dramatic change of the exciton photoluminescence (PL) angular distribution. The long-range coherence of the condensed state gives rise to a sharply focused peak of radiation in the direction normal to the plane. By comparing the PL profile with and without Bose condensation, we provide a simple diagnostic for the existence of a Bose condensate. The PL peak has strong temperature dependence due to the thermal order parameter phase fluctuations across the system. The angular PL distribution can also be used for imaging vortices in the trapped condensate. Vortex phase spatial variation leads to destructive interference of PL radiation in certain directions, creating nodes in the PL distribution that imprint the vortex configuration.

• Received 3 November 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.176402