Prethermalization in a quenched one-dimensional quantum fluid of light

Year: 2016

Authors: Larre PE., Carusotto I.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Trento, INO CNR BEC Ctr, Via Sommar 14, I-38123 Povo, Italy; Univ Trento, Dipartimento Fis, Via Sommar 14, I-38123 Povo, Italy.

Abstract: We study the coherence properties of a laser beam after propagation along a one-dimensional lossless nonlinear optical waveguide. Within the paraxial, slowly-varying-envelope, and single-transverse-mode approximations, the quantum propagation of the light field in the nonlinear medium is mapped onto a quantum Gross-Pitaevskii-type evolution of a closed one-dimensional system of many interacting photons. Upon crossing the entrance and the back faces of the waveguide, the photon-photon interaction parameter undergoes two sudden jumps, resulting in a pair of quantum quenches of the system’s Hamiltonian. In the weak-interaction regime, we use the modulus-phase Bogoliubov theory of dilute Bose gases to describe the quantum fluctuations of the fluid of light and predict that correlations typical of a prethermalized state emerge locally in their final form and propagate in a light-cone way at the Bogoliubov speed of sound in the photon fluid. This peculiar relaxation dynamics, visible in the light exiting the waveguide, results in a loss of long-lived coherence in the beam of light.

Journal/Review: EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL D

Volume: 70 (3)      Pages from: 45-1  to: 45-19

More Information: We acknowledge Alessio Chiocchetta, Pjotrs Grisins, and Jose Lebreuilly for our continuous exchanges on the physics of quantum quenches, Stefano Biasi and Fernando R. Manzano for our stimulating discussions on the possibility of an experimental realization, Nicolas Pavloff for his careful reading of the paper and his helpful comments, and Andrea Gambassi for having indicated us relevant references about prethermalization. This work was supported by the ERC through the QGBE grant, by the EU-FET Proactive grant AQuS, Project No. 640800, and by the Autonomous Province of Trento, partially through the SiQuro project (On silicon chip quantum optics for quantum computing and secure communications).
KeyWords: Bose-einstein Condensation; Optical-fibers; Bosons; Flow; Radiation; Obstacle; Dynamics; Solitons; Silicon; Waves
DOI: 10.1140/epjd/e2016-60590-2

Citations: 13
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