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Paraxial quantum fluids light in hot atomic vapors

Murad Abuzarli, Tangui Aladjidi, Nicolas Cherroret, Quentin C. Glorieux

Published Jan 1, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Hot atomic vapors are widely used in non-linear and quantum optics due to their large Kerr non-linearity. This non-linearity induces effective photon-photon interactions allowing light to behave as a fluid displaying quantum properties such as superfluidity. In this presentation, I will show that we have full control over the Hamiltonian that drives the system and that we can engineer an analogue simulator with light.

DOI
10.1051/epjconf/202226608004

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•Jan 31, 2020•0 citations
Hot atomic vapors are widely used in non-linear and quantum optics due to their large Kerr non-linearity. This non-linearity induces effective photon-photon interactions allowing light to behave as a fluid displaying quantum properties such as superfluidity. In this presentation, I will show that we have full control over the Hamiltonian that drives the system and that we can engineer an analogue simulator with light.
Quantum fluids of light are the photonic counterpart of Bose gases. They currently attract increasing interest since they are versatile and highly tunable systems for probing many-body physics quantum phenomena, such as superfluidity. Superfluid flow of light has already been reported in microcavity exciton-polariton condensates but clear observation of this phenomenon in cavityless systems, that is, for propagating photon fluids, remains elusive. In this thesis, we study the hydrodynamical properties of light propagating close to resonance in hot rubidium vapors. Whereas photons in air are not interacting with each other, the situation is different in rubidium vapors, as an effective interaction between them, mediated by the atomic ensemble, appears. The light behaves therefore as a fluid flowing in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The primary purpose of this thesis was to show that light in those systems can behave as a superfluid. The first step toward the observation of superfluidity is to measure the dispersion relation of small amplitude density waves travelling onto the propagating photon fluid. I show that this dispersion exhibits a linear trend for small excitation wave-vectors, which is, according to the Landau criterion, a sufficient condition for guaranteeing superfluidity. I present then an all-optical defect experiment - where the photon fluid flows against an optically induced obstacle (namely, a local change of refractive index) - designed to measure the drag force cancellation at the fluid/superfluid threshold.
The realization of tabletop optical analogue experiments of superfluidity relies on the engineering of suitable optical media, with tailored optical properties. This work shows how quantum atomic optical systems can be used to develop highly tunable optical media, with localized control of both linear and nonlinear susceptibility. Introducing the hydrodynamic description of light, the superfluidity of light in these atomic media is investigated through GPU-enhanced numerical simulations, with the numeric observation of the superfluidic signature of suppressed scattering through a defect.
Abstract Nonlinear optics has been a very dynamic field of research with spectacular phenomena discovered mainly after the invention of lasers. The combination of high intensity fields with resonant systems has further enhanced the nonlinearity with specific additional effects related to the resonances. In this paper we review a limited range of these effects which has been studied in the past decades using close-to-room-temperature atomic vapors as the nonlinear resonant medium. In particular we describe four-wave mixing and generation of nonclassical light in atomic vapors. One-and two-mode squeezing as well as photon correlations are discussed. Furthermore, we present some applications for optical and quantum memories based on hot atomic vapors. Finally, we present results on the recently developed field of quantum fluids of light using hot atomic vapors.
As quantum-driven processes and properties start to shape the future of technology, quantum simulations appear as a crucial piece of the puzzle, acting both as building blocks and catalysts for the improvement of the understanding of unique quantum features. In essence, they can be understood as a class of prototype experiments that allow a study of quantum properties in a controllable environment. In this context, quantum fluids of light are one of the strongest candidates for this role as coherent behavior is easily accessible and not hidden by detrimental thermal noise usually present in more common quantum systems. In this work we explore the underlying theory of quantum fluids of light in propagating geometries through the hydrodynamic interpretation of light, where photons behave as interacting particles in the presence of a nonlinear medium. Exploiting the highly controllable optical properties of atomic systems and their enhanced nonlinear properties related to quantum coherence phenomena, we discuss how they can be used to set a tunable platform for quantum simulations. As examples, we demonstrate a series of quantum features of this light fluid in the form of super fluidic-like behaviors, ranging from the more common and experimentally confirmed suppressed scattering, drag-force cancellation and Bogoliubov-like dispersion relation for the elementary excitations, to other interesting phenomena yet to be explored, such as the case of persistent currents.
Fluide de lumière en géomètrie propageante dans une vapeur atomique chaude Les fluides quantiques de lumière constituent l'analogue optique des condensats de Bose-Einstein atomiques. Ils suscitent une attention croissante puisqu'ils permettent de sonder facilement des phénomènes quantiques à N-corps, à l'instar de la superfluidité. Des écoulements superfluides de lumière ont déjà été mis en évidence dans des fluides de polaritons en micro-cavité mais les observations rapportées jusqu'à présent dans les fluides de lumière en géométrie propageante sont moins probantes. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions les propriétés hydrodynamiques de la lumière propageant à quasi-résonance dans une vapeur chaude de rubidium. Alors que les photons n’interagissent pas entre eux dans l'air, la situation est différente dans la vapeur de rubidium, puisqu'une interaction effective entre photons, médiée par le milieu atomique, apparaît. La lumière peut alors être décrite comme un fluide s'écoulant dans le plan perpendiculaire à l'axe optique. L'objectif premier de cette thèse était de démontrer que la lumière, en propageant dans ce système, peut se comporter comme un superfluide. Dans cette perspective, il est nécessaire de mesurer la relation de dispersion à laquelle obéissent les ondes de densité se déplaçant à la surface du fluide. Je montre que cette dispersion dépend linéairement du module du vecteur d'onde quand celui-ci est petit devant la longueur de cicatrisation. D'après le critère de Landau, ceci est suffisant pour garantir l'existence d'écoulements superfluides. Je présente ensuite une expérience visant à mesurer l'annulation de la force de trainée exercée par le fluide de lumière sur un obstacle optique au passage de la transition fluide/superfluide.