Bose-Einstein Condensation of Light

Martin Weitz
Institut fr Angewandte Physik der Universitt Bonn
Bose-Einstein
condensation of atoms:
matter waves in lockstep

T~100nK
 Outline of Talk

-cold atomic gases

- thermodynamics of a two-dimensional photon gas in

a dye-filled optical microcavity

- Bose-Einstein condensation of photons

Cold Atomic Gases: Temperature Scale

T
surface of sun
1000 K
room temperature

1K
liquid helium

1 mK
laser-cooled atoms
1 K
Bose-Einstein-condensate
(T~100nK, n~1014cm-3)
1 nK
From Thermal Gas to Bose-Einstein-Condensate

classical gas

cold gas, but T>Tc

atoms show wave properties
dB = h/mv 1 T

T<Tc
matter waves overlap BEC

T<<Tc
pure Bose-Einstein-condensate
 T<<Tc

TTc

T>>Tc

BEC of rubidium atoms @ 180nK

 Ground State of Bosonic Ensembles
(3D-Regime)

atoms

photons ?

Bose-Einstein-condensate
 Earlier Work related towards a Photon BEC
- Proposal for a photon BEC in Compton scattering off a thermal
electron gas

scattered photons:
shock wave structure

photons

electrons in thermal
equilibium (within plasma)

Zeldovich and Levich, 1969

 Earlier Work
- Exciton-polariton condensates
strong coupling (half matter, half light); in equilibrium for condensed part

Yamamoto, Deveaud-Pledran, Littlewood, Snoke,

- Proposal for photon fluid in nonlinear resonator

atom

photon-photon scattering R. Chiao

(four-wave mixing)
 Bonn 2D-Photon Gas Experimental Scheme
- use curved-mirror microresonator to modify photon dispersion
d = n/2
energy

(for n=1)
min. (cutoff)
photon in
energy of light
free space
in resonator
n=1 n=2
(transversal) wavevector
cutoff

- thermal equilibrium of photon gas by scattering off dye molecules

dye
molecule

J. Klaers et al.
Spectrum of Perylene-Dimide Molecule (PDI)

absorption () fluorescence f()

Kennard-Stepanov theory:
f ( )
I (a.u.)

exp
( ) k BT

wavelength (nm) quantum 0.97

Photon Gas Thermalization: Background
Collisionally induced thermalization in dye medium

+ - f ( )
exp
( ) k BT

T: (internal rovibrational) temperature

of dye solution

Kennard 1912, Stepanov 1956

 Model for Photon Thermalization
multiple absorption and emission processes by dye molecules in resonator
 Photon Number Variation during Thermalization?

Planck Blackbody Radiation New Scheme

Ecutoff
thermal photon =2.1eV
photon
excitation absorption
emission
EkBT
photon =1/40 eV
emission
thermal excitation suppressed
cutoff
by e
10 36
k BT
photon average number conserved

white-wall box for photons

 Photon Trapping versus Atom Trapping

- quadratic photon dispersion

k
photon kr
in cavity kz (fixed)
energy

In paraxial approximation (kz>>kr):

k 2

E c k z2 k r2 c k z r
cutoff 2 2k z
(k r )
free photon meff c 2
2meff
(transversal) wavevector with meff k z / c cutoff c 2
 ..Photon versus Atom trapping

- trapping potential from mirror curvature

Vtrap resonator

0 x

System formally equivalent to 2D-gas of massive bosons with meff cutoff c 2

(k r ) 2 1
E meff c
2
meff 2 r 2
2meff 2
2 k BT
2
BEC expected for N N c 77000 (T=300K, =241010 Hz,
3 meff 6.710-36 kg 10-10mRb)
 BEC versus Lasing

Optical laser Photon BEC

thermodynamic far from equilibrium thermal equilibrium

state:

gain/thermalisation three or more levels, non-inverted two-

medium: inversion (or quantum level system sufficient
coherence, high coupling (many transversal
eff. to single cavity mode) cavity modes)

2 k BT
2
phase transition for the lasing mode: N Nc
condition: gain (stim. emission) > loss 3
(or n2 D 2dB
1)
Two-Dimensional Photon Gas in
Dye-Filled Optical Resonator
 Experimental Setup: 2D Photon Gas

pumping laser
(532 nm)

dye-filled
microcavity spectrometer

d 7/2
 pumping
irradiation

resonator axis
 Spectrum of Thermal Photon Gas in Cavity
cavity cutoff
residual utr
pump from Pout=50(5) nW
radiation

= -6.76(17)kBT
utr

exp((utr ) / k B 300K ) 1

= -7.16(17)kBT

evidence for thermalized two-dimensional photon gas with 0!

J. Klaers, F. Vewinger, M. Weitz, Nature Phys. 6, 512 (2010)
Spectra for Different Cavity Cutoff Frequencies

optically dense regime,

thermalization of photon gas
 Reabsorption: Required for Photon Thermalization

dye
molecule

Snapshot: Thermalization of Photon Gas in Dye Microcavity
 Thermalization Photon Diffusion towards Center

Experimental data
photon trapping potential

pumping
from mirror curvature

xmax(m)
trap
center
thermalized
photon gas
0 x pump beam position xexc (m)
Photon Gas at Criticality

BEC!

N<<Nc N>Nc

Rh6G, duty cycle 1:16000, 0.5s pulses

Bose-Einstein condensate of Light

below Bose-Einstein
threshold condensate

Cooling
(or increase of ndb2)
Light Bulb

ground state:
filament off
Spectra for Densities around Photonic BEC Threshold

Pc,exp 1.55(60) W
Nc,exp (6.32,4)104

2 k BT 7.7104
2

Theory: N c
3

J. Klaers, J. Schmitt, F. Vewinger, M. Weitz, Nature 468, 545 (2010)

Spatial Intensity Distribution around BEC Threshold

mode diameter increase could be explained by photon mean field interaction

with geff,2D 710-4 (too small for Kosterlitz-Thouless physics) BEC expected
for atoms: geff,2D 10-1 - 10-2 (Dalibard,Phillips)
Michelson Interference Pattern above Photon BEC Threshold

optical path length difference: 15 mm

Phase Transition Onset versus Resonator Geometry

2
expected critical optical power: Pc N c 2
( k BT ) R
rt 12 c

- Variation of mirror radius R

theory
n=7, R variable
 .. Phase Transition Onset

- Variation of resonator length

dye
-1 pumping
(n-4.77)-1 Vdye
beam

R=1m, n variable

2
Pc ( k BT ) 2
R
12 c

n
Published Results for the Phase Transition of a Microlaser

threshold lower
for a small mirror
spacing!

De Martini+Jacobovitz, PRL 60, 1711 (1988)

 .. Phase Transition Onset

- Variation of resonator length

photon BEC dye
-1
usual (n-4.77)-1 Vdye pumping
laser beam

microlaser R=1m, n variable

2
Pc ( k BT ) 2
R
12 c

n
Condensation for Off-Center Pumping

cutoff
Reabsorption

pump
spot
Effective Particle Exchange of Photons with Dye Excitations

exchange
+

photon
molecule in molecule in
ground state electronically
excited state

average photon number is fixed, but fluctuations of the photon number

around the average value can occur

for a large number M of dye molecule, the photon gas is well decribed
by a grandcanonical model
 Ensembles for Bose-Einstein Condensation

usual BECs Photon BEC with dye reservoir

N
molecules in
N Mexc electronically
atom number fixed excited state
photons

microcanonical ensemble For large reservoir size:

(similar: canonical ensemble) grandcanonical ensemble

Poissonian particle statistics enhanced particle fluctuations in

in condensed state, g(2)(0) = 1 condensed state, g(2)(0) = 2

general theory grandcanonical BEC fluctuations: Fujiwara et al. (1970), Ziff et al. (1977), Holthaus (1998)
 Expected Phase Diagram

thermal gas
fluctuating
fluctuating BEC regime
regime
T/Tc

Poissonian
regime
Poissonian
BEC regime

normalized cavity detuning /kBTc

J. Klaers et al., PRL 108, 160403 (2012), see also: D. Sobyanin, PRE 85, 061120 (2012)
Measured Photon BEC Intensity Correlation vs. Delay Time

1.8
1.6 preliminary data,
1.4 grandcanonical
regime
1.2
g(2)()

1
0.8
0.6
0.4

0 5 10 15 20 25 30
delay [ns]
 Laser Cooling by Collisional Redistribution

Cooling cycle Experiment

proposal: Berman Rb + 200 bar argon filled cell
+Stenholm, 1978
rubidium energy

|e>

excitation fluorescence
|g>

distance to colliding atom cooling inside cell: 4100C -1200C

U. Vogl and M. Weitz, Nature 461, 70 (2009);

A. Sass, U. Vogl, M. Weitz, to be published
 Conclusions

- thermal 2D-photon gas with nonvanishing chemical potential

(average particle number conserved)

- Bose-Einstein condensation of photons. Signatures:

Bose-Einstein distributed phase transition condensation for
photon energies absolute value+scaling off-center pumping
 Outlook
- photon thermalization: V
concentration of diffuse sunlight thermalized
gas of light at
room temperature

position
- photon BEC: new states of light
(some) future directions:
canonical vs. grandcanonical photon ensemble regimes
study of quantum manybody states in periodic potentials
- light sources in new wavelength regimes, coherent UV sources

possible application:
lithography
Quantum optics group, IAP Bonn:
J. Klaers
S. Kling
A. Sass
H. Brammer
J. Schmitt
T. Damm
C. Grossert
J. Ulitzsch
M. Leder
D. Dung
T. Burgermeister
S. Hwe
P. Moroshkin
F. Vewinger
M. Weitz