Dissipation-enhanced collapse singularity of a nonlocal fluid of light in a hot atomic vapor

Pierre Azam, Adrien Fusaro, Quentin Fontaine, Josselin Garnier, Alberto Bramati, Antonio Picozzi, Robin Kaiser, Quentin Glorieux, and Tom Bienaimé
Phys. Rev. A 104, 013515 – Published 15 July 2021
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Abstract

We study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of a two-dimensional paraxial fluid of light using a near-resonant laser propagating through a hot atomic vapor. We observe a double shock-collapse instability: a shock (gradient catastrophe) for the velocity as well as an annular (ring-shaped) collapse singularity for the density. We find experimental evidence that this instability results from the combined effect of the nonlocal photon-photon interaction and the linear photon losses. The theoretical analysis based on the method of characteristics reveals the main result that dissipation (photon losses) is responsible for an unexpected enhancement of the collapse instability. Detailed analytical modeling makes it possible to evaluate the nonlocality range of the interaction. The nonlocality is controlled by adjusting the atomic vapor temperature and is seen to increase dramatically when the atomic density becomes much larger than one atom per cubic wavelength. Interestingly, such a large range of the nonlocal photon-photon interaction is observed in an atomic vapor here, but its microscopic origin is currently unknown.

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  • Received 11 March 2021
  • Accepted 30 June 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.104.013515

©2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
General Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Pierre Azam1, Adrien Fusaro2,3, Quentin Fontaine4, Josselin Garnier5, Alberto Bramati4, Antonio Picozzi2, Robin Kaiser1, Quentin Glorieux4, and Tom Bienaimé4,*

  • 1Institut de Physique de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, F-06560 Valbonne, France
  • 2Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21078 Dijon, France
  • 3CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon Cedex, France
  • 4Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, Collège de France, F-75005 Paris, France
  • 5CMAP, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, F-91128 Palaiseau, France

  • *tom.bienaime@lkb.ens.fr

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Issue

Vol. 104, Iss. 1 — July 2021

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