Bose-Einstein Condensation of Photons and a Non-Hermitian Phase Transition
Prof. Martin Weitz, Universität Bonn, Bonn (Germany)
10/03/2022, 12:00 MSK / 10:00 CET
Abstract
Quantum gases of light, as photons or polariton condensates in optical microcavities, are collective quantum systems enabling a tailoring of dissipation from e.g. cavity loss. This makes them a tool to study dissipative phases, an emerging subject in quantum manybody physics. Here the demonstration of a non-Hermitian phase transition of a photon Bose-Einstein condensate to a new dissipative phase, characterized by a biexponential decay of the condensate’s second-order coherence, is reported. The dissipative phase transition occurs due to the emergence of an exceptional point in the quantum gas. While usually Bose-Einstein condensation is connected to ordinary lasing by a smooth crossover, the observed phase transition separates the novel, bi-exponential phase from both lasing and a first, oscillatory condensate regime. In my talk, I will begin with a general introduction and give an account of current work and future plans of the Bonn photon gas experiment.
About the speaker
Martin Weitz is a Professor for Experimental Physics at the University of Bonn in Germany. He studied physics and electrical engineering at the University of Kaiserslautern and the Technical University of Munich. He received his PhD from the University of Munich for work on precision spectroscopy of atomic hydrogen under supervision of Prof. T. W. Hänsch. After a postdoctoral stay at Stanford University and joining the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching he became Professor at the University of Tübingen in 2001. Since 2006 he is professor at the University of Bonn. In 2012 he received an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council for research on Bose-Einstein condensation of photons in optical microcavities.
Date & Location
The event will be taking place on zoom on the 10th of March 2022 at 12 am MSK time (10 am CET).
Access details:
https://skoltech-ru.zoom.us/j/94014504963?pwd=bFlrVHlDK0xtemtEQlFtV0ZkdGpEdz09
Meeting ID: 940 1450 4963 / Passcode: 561898
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