SAMOP 2023 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 20: Quantum Gases: Bosons II

Q 20.1: Talk

Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 11:00–11:15, F342

Bose-Einstein Condensation of Photons in a Four-Site Lattice Potential — •Niels Wolf, Andreas Redmann, Christian Kurtscheid, Frank Vewinger, Julian Schmitt, and Martin Weitz — Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität Bonn, Deutschland

Bose-Einstein condensation can be observed with ultracold atomic gases, polaritons, and since about a decade ago also with low-dimensional photon gases. Cold atomic gases in lattice potentials are usually prepared following the creation of a condensate by transferring it into the periodic potential, while in recent work with photon gases direct condensation into a coherently split state of light has been realized [1]. Here we report on experimental work directed at realizing thermalized photon gases in periodic potentials of increased complexibility, i.e. beyond a double well.

Our experiments use a controlled mirror surface delamination technique to imprint variable potentials for light in a dye-filled optical microcavity environment. Photons thermalize by repeated absorption re-emission processes on the dye molecules in a four-site lattice potential superimposed by a weak harmonic trapping potential. We observe Bose-Einstein condensation of photons in the four-fold split coherent superposition of the localized microsites wave function representing the system ground state in the microcavity.

[1] C. Kurtscheid et al., Science 366, 894 (2019)