Superfluidity and multicomponent fluids
We probe frictionless transport, fluid–object backaction and collective excitations in one- and two-component fluids of light.
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Research
We study quantum fluids of light in hot rubidium vapours. In the paraxial regime, light propagation is described by a two-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation, equivalent to the Gross–Pitaevskii equation for a weakly interacting Bose gas. The propagation coordinate acts as time, the light intensity as the fluid density, and the phase gradient as the fluid velocity.
We control the transverse amplitude and phase of the input field and measure both quantities at the output. This gives access to the density, velocity, excitations and spatial correlations of the fluid.
Our current work covers superfluidity and binary fluids, nonequilibrium dynamics and turbulence, and quantum simulation with light.
Nonequilibrium dynamics and turbulence
We investigate quenches, turbulence and thermalisation through the full statistics of density and phase fluctuations.
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Quantum simulation beyond mean field
We use controlled interactions and full-field measurements to reveal quantum noise, analogue spacetime and new phases of photonic matter.
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