Séminaire de Physique Théorique

Thermodynamics and Hydrodynamics of cavity light
Simon Pigeon (Sorbonne Université)
Monday 26 March 2018 11:00 -  Tours -  Salle 1180 (Bât E2)

Résumé :
Light is a fascinating phenomenon. It has been since the beginning of the XXth century described as a gas of non-interacting particles: photons. Confined between two mirrors in a cavity, photons acquire an effective mass and, due to imperfect mirrors a finite lifetime. Consequently, this gas exchanges constantly with its environment through dissipation. Based on methods borrowed from both open quantum system and statistical physics, the thermodynamics of these exchanges can be resolved to reveal its true stochastic nature as I will present in a first part [1,2], paving the way to the definition of fluctuation theorem in quantum optics behind others. Moreover, mediated light-matter interaction, effective photon interaction can be engineered. In this context, cavity light behaves as a fluid and more surprisingly as a quantum fluid [3]. In a second part, I will explore this hydrodynamical analogy illustrating how the underlying driven-dissipative nature of quantum fluids of light modifies their properties as well as the topological excitations that may form in them [4]. [1] S. Pigeon, L. Fusco, A. Xuereb, G. De Chiara and M. Paternostro. PRA 92:013844 (2015). [2] S. Pigeon, L. Fusco, A. Xuereb, G. De Chiara and M. Paternostro. NJP 18:013009 (2016). [3] A. Amo, S. Pigeon, D. Sanvitto, V. G. Sala, R. Hivet, I. Carusotto, F. Pisanello, G. Leménager, R. Houdré, E. Giacobino, C. Ciuti and A. Bramati, Science 332:1167 (2011). [4] S. Pigeon and A. Bramati, NJP 19:095004 (2017)

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