中国物理B ›› 2017, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (4): 46701-046701.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/26/4/046701

• CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES • 上一篇    下一篇

Superfluidity of coherent light in self-focusing nonlinear waveguides

Ze Cheng(成泽)   

  1. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
  • 收稿日期:2016-12-02 修回日期:2017-01-04 出版日期:2017-04-05 发布日期:2017-04-05
  • 通讯作者: Ze Cheng E-mail:zcheng@mail.hust.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10174024 and 10474025).

Superfluidity of coherent light in self-focusing nonlinear waveguides

Ze Cheng(成泽)   

  1. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
  • Received:2016-12-02 Revised:2017-01-04 Online:2017-04-05 Published:2017-04-05
  • Contact: Ze Cheng E-mail:zcheng@mail.hust.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10174024 and 10474025).

摘要: We establish the superfluidity theory of coherent light in waveguides made of nonlinear polar crystals. It is found that the pairing state of photons in a nonlinear polar crystal is the photonic superfluid state. The photon-photon interaction potential is an attractive effective interaction by exchange of virtual optical phonons. In the traveling-wave pairing state of photons, the photon number is conserved, which is similar to the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) state of photons. In analogy to the BCS-BEC crossover theory of superconductivity, we derive a set of coupled order parameter and number equations, which determine the solution of the traveling-wave superfluid state of photons. This solution gives the critical velocity of light in a self-focusing nonlinear waveguide. The most important property of the photonic superfluid state is that the system of photon pairs evolves without scattering attenuations.

关键词: superfluidity, photon pairing, nonlinear waveguide

Abstract: We establish the superfluidity theory of coherent light in waveguides made of nonlinear polar crystals. It is found that the pairing state of photons in a nonlinear polar crystal is the photonic superfluid state. The photon-photon interaction potential is an attractive effective interaction by exchange of virtual optical phonons. In the traveling-wave pairing state of photons, the photon number is conserved, which is similar to the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) state of photons. In analogy to the BCS-BEC crossover theory of superconductivity, we derive a set of coupled order parameter and number equations, which determine the solution of the traveling-wave superfluid state of photons. This solution gives the critical velocity of light in a self-focusing nonlinear waveguide. The most important property of the photonic superfluid state is that the system of photon pairs evolves without scattering attenuations.

Key words: superfluidity, photon pairing, nonlinear waveguide

中图分类号:  (Superfluid transition and critical phenomena)

  • 67.25.dj
64.60.-i (General studies of phase transitions) 67.10.Ba (Boson degeneracy) 78.30.-j (Infrared and Raman spectra)