Cátedra Bogdan Mielnik

Quantum fluids of light:

From theory fundamentals to modern experiments

Dr. Maxime J. Jacquet

Laboratoire Kastler Brossel

Sorbonne Université, CNRS, ENS-Université PSL, France

Abstract

Quantum fluids of light are a new experimental platform for quantum fluids. They come in three main types: microcavity exciton-polaritons, the paraxial configuration (which has been implemented in hot atomic vapours, thermo-optic liquids and photo-refractive crystals), and pulses in nonlinear fibres. Their shared properties is that light is endowed with an effective mass, giving it a kinetic energy, and dressed with material excitations, giving it the ability to interact non-linearly. Their dynamics are described by a nonlinear Schrödinger equation and the system is intrinsically out of thermal equilibrium.

In this course,  I will go from the fundamentals of the theory of fluids of light all the way to the most recent experiments, focusing on exciton-polaritons..

In a fist part, I will begin with a quantum field description of nonlinear planar cavities and derive the specific nonlinear Schrödinger equation that describes the in-plane dynamics: driven-dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation. I will then present the two possible ways of exciting polaritons: pumping near- or off-resonance with the microcavity. I will focus on three phase transitions in these systems (optical bistability, superfluidity, Bose-Einstein condensation) and discuss the quantum hydrodynamics of polaritons in terms of their collective excitations, which I will describe using the Bogoliubov theory.

In a second part, I will review historical experiments aiming at measuring mean-field effects and collective excitations as well as squeezing below the shot-noise, demonstrating the generation of entanglement in fluids of light.

In a third part, I will discuss the analogue quantum simulation of quantum field theory on curved spacetime (`analogue gravity') with polaritons and review recent theoretical, numerical and experimental results on the Hawking effect, rotational superradiance and the experimental observation of negative energy waves.

Plan of the course

1. Quantum field description of nonlinear planar cavities

2. The driven-dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation

3. Polariton fluids under quasi-resonant excitation and off-resonant excitation

4. Optical bistability

5. Bogoliubov theory and elementary excitations

6. Superfluidity out of equilibrium?

7. The parametric oscillation regime

8. Bose-Einstein condensation out of equilibrium

9. Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality in a one-dimensional polariton condensate

10. Analogue gravity out of equilibrium

Prerequisites

Courses on Quantum Mechanics at the bachelor's level. Notions of quantum field theory, optics, and semiconductor physics are a plus.

Información del curso

Las Cátedras Bogdan Mielnik se impartirán en inglés como parte del entrenamiento para nuestro estudiantes, aunque es posible hacer preguntas en español.

El curso tendrá lugar el viernes 8 y del martes 12 al viernes 15 de marzo de 2024 de 15 a 17h en el Auditorio "José Ádem" del Cinvestav Zacatenco. También será posible asistir en formato virtual en la plataforma Zoom, las sesiones no serán grabadas.

Inscripción

Para acceder al curso y al Cinvestav, les pedimos que llenen el formulario que está al final de esta página o en esta liga. La inscripción no tiene costo. La fecha límite de inscripción es el lunes 4 de marzo.

Constancias

Se enviará una constancia de participación a quienes asistan los cinco días del curso y así lo hayan solicitado en el formulario de inscripción. 

Dudas

Cualquier duda o comentario pueden escribir a david.bermudez@cinvestav.mx.

Formulario:

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