Condensed Matter Theory Seminar | October 14, 14:00
Quantum Lightsaber: condensation of light in an ultrathin tube
Light can be converted into a liquid, a quantum liquid called Bose-Einstein condensate, where it nearly stops if travels in one dimension. In this talk, I address a quasiequilibrium one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensation of photons trapped in a microtube, which is possible because the light modes have a cut-off frequency (a photon’s “mass”) and interact through different processes of absorption, emission, and scattering on molecules and atoms. I discuss the conditions for the one-dimensional condensation of light and the role of photon- photon interactions in the system. This theoretical study is in the strong connection with the experiments of the Weitz Quantum Optics group (University of Bonn).
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Seminar Room 0.03, ETP
Contact: Achim Rosch