Thermalization kinetics of light: From laser dynamics to equilibrium condensation of photons

Abstract

We report a time-resolved study of the thermalization dynamics and the lasing to photon Bose-Einstein condensation crossover by in-\textit{situ} monitoring the photon kinetics in a dye microcavity. When the equilibration of the light to the dye temperature by absorption and re-emission is faster than photon loss in the cavity, the optical spectrum becomes Bose-Einstein distributed and photons accumulate at low-energy states, forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. The thermalization of the photon gas and its evolution from nonequilibrium initial distributions to condensation is monitored in real-time. In contrast, if photons leave the cavity before they thermalize, the system operates as a laser.

11 pages, 4 figures

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• Strongly Interacting Polaritons in Coupled Arrays of Cavities
• Quantum phase transitions of light
• Bose-Einstein condensation of photons in an optical microcavity
• Photon blockade induced Mott transitions and XY spin models in coupled cavity arrays
• Spatial and spectral shape of inhomogeneous non-equilibrium exciton-polariton condensates
• Quantum Degenerate Exciton-Polaritons in Thermal Equilibrium
• Thermalisation of a two-dimensional photonic gas in a 'white-wall' photon box
• On the phase transition of light in cavity QED lattices
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• Thermalization and breakdown of thermalization in photon condensates
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• Quest for Vortices in Photon Condensates
• A unified theory for excited-state, fragmented, and equilibrium-like Bose condensation in pumped photonic many-body systems
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• Controlling Nonequilibrium Bose-Einstein Condensation with Engineered Environments
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• From Lasers to Photon Bose--Einstein Condensates: A Unified Description via an Open-Dissipative Bose--Einstein Distribution
• One- and two-photon spectroscopy with a test of the Kennard-Stepanov relation in high-pressure two-species xenon-noble gas mixtures
• Thermodynamics and State Preparation in a Two-State System of Light
• Bose condensation of squeezed light