Objectif "Bose-Einstein condensation, the macroscopic ground state occupation of a system of bosonic particles below a critical temperature, has in the last two decades been observed in cold atomic gases and in solid-state physics quasiparticles. The perhaps most widely known example of a bosonic gas, photons in blackbody radiation, however exhibits no Bose-Einstein condensation, because the particle number is not conserved and at low temperatures the photons disappear in the system’s walls instead of massively occupying the cavity ground mode. This is not the case in a small optical cavity, with a low-frequency cutoff imprinting a spectrum of photon energies restricted to well above the thermal energy. Using a microscopic cavity filled with dye solution at room temperature, my group has recently observed the first Bose-Einstein condensate of photons.Building upon this work, the grant applicant here proposes to study the physics of interacting photon Bose-Einstein condensates in variable potentials. We will study the flow of the light condensate around external perturbations, and exploit signatures for superfluidity of the two-dimensional photon gas. Moreover, the condensate will be loaded into variable potentials induced by optical index changes, forming a periodic array of nanocavities. We plan to investigate the Mott insulating regime, and study thermal equilibrium population of more complex entangled manybody states for the photon gas. Other than in an ultracold atomic gas system, loading and cooling can proceed throughout the lattice manipulation time in our system. We expect to be able to directly condense into a macroscopic occupation of highly entangled quantum states. This is an issue not achievable in present atomic physics Bose-Einstein condensation experiments. In the course of the project, quantum manybody states, when constituting the system ground state, will be macroscopically populated in a thermal equilibrium process." Champ scientifique natural sciencesphysical sciencesatomic physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicssolid-state physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicsbose-einstein condensatesnatural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Thème(s) ERC-AG-PE2 - ERC Advanced Grant - Fundamental constituents of matter Appel à propositions ERC-2012-ADG_20120216 Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Institution d’accueil RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAT BONN Contribution de l’UE € 2 133 560,00 Adresse REGINA PACIS WEG 3 53113 Bonn Allemagne Voir sur la carte Région Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Chercheur principal Ernst Martin Weitz (Prof.) Contact administratif Daniela Hasenpusch (Ms.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée Bénéficiaires (1) Trier par ordre alphabétique Trier par contribution de l’UE Tout développer Tout réduire RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAT BONN Allemagne Contribution de l’UE € 2 133 560,00 Adresse REGINA PACIS WEG 3 53113 Bonn Voir sur la carte Région Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Chercheur principal Ernst Martin Weitz (Prof.) Contact administratif Daniela Hasenpusch (Ms.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée