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SUMMARY:Superfluid and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless dynamics of light -
  Fleischer\, JW (Princeton University)
DTSTART:20121204T133000Z
DTEND:20121204T141000Z
UID:TALK41833@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Mustapha Amrani
DESCRIPTION:There are many advantages to interpreting coherent light as a 
 superfluid. From an optics perspective\, fluid language gives new insight 
 into old problems and leads to new physics\, e.g. instabilities. From a ph
 ysics perspective\, the ability to control input conditions and directly i
 mage the output means that optical experiments enable the observation of f
 eatures that are difficult\, if not impossible\, to see in other fields. T
 his is particularly true of coherence dynamics\, as phase relationships ar
 e relatively easy to uncover through interference. Here\, we review our re
 cent results on vortex dynamics and optical thermodynamics\, with an empha
 sis on condensation phenomena and the BKT transition. In the former proces
 s\, the approach to thermal equilibrium drives the largest-scale mode of t
 he system to become macroscopically occupied. In the latter process\, vort
 ex generation becomes more favorable than entropy production\, and attempt
 s at long-range order are destroyed. These two processes compete yet can c
 o-exist\, with many aspects of their many-body physics still outstanding. 
 Optical experiments are beginning to map the dynamical phase space\, throu
 gh direct measurement of energy and momentum density\, vortex number\, and
  coherence properties. While still in their early stages\, the results dem
 onstrate condensed matter physics using only light and reinforce the use o
 f photonic systems as an experimental testbed for fluid and statistical ph
 ysics.\n
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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