Photon thermalization emerges from multimode nonlinear optical platforms without requiring exotic, ultra-strong single-photon materials, according to research published in Science Advances.
High-speed data transmission relies heavily on photons because they possess exceptional coherence and travel at upper physical speed limits. However, these information carriers lack direct photon-photon interactions. The newly detailed study, titled Thermalization of quantum light induced by classical nonlinear wave dynamics, investigates how single- and two-photon states propagate alongside intense classical light fields.
Rather than suffering unmitigated decoherence, the embedded quantum states thermalize through these configurations. Numerical experiments conducted by the team confirmed this process via the emergence of Rayleigh-Jeans and Boltzmann statistical distributions.
The experimental approach uses standard, readily available classical optical structures instead of demanding single-photon nonlinear materials that remain notoriously difficult to fabricate and scale. This configuration lowers experimental barriers while providing a controllable testbed for investigating open quantum systems and many-body thermodynamics.
The research team includes Şahin K. Özdemir, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering, alongside El-Ganainy and Perez-Leija. Additional authors consist of Fouad Chahrour from the Max Born Institute and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Kurt Busch, professor of theoretical physics at the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max Born Institute.
Establishing that classical nonlinearities can thermalize quantum states opens fresh avenues for light dynamics within standard laboratory setups. Researchers can now explore a broader spectrum of complex quantum phenomena, including aspects of quantum phase transitions.
The study received financial support from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Army Research Office.
