Photon Fluids and Photon Condensation
The goal of this project is to use so called photon fluids to study superfluidity and Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) dynamics, including soliton formation, vortex pair interaction and turbulence. A photon fluid is created by shining an intense light beam in a nonlinear, defocusing medium. The nonlinear propagation equations are then identical to those of a fluid and waves on the beam transverse profile behave according to the physics to hydrodynamics: they behave exactly as waves on a fluid surface. We may apply advanced laser beam shaping technologies in order to then control the precise characteristics of the fluid, e.g. control the fluid flow and wave interaction dynamics and thus study for example turbulence, vortex interaction and various other phenomena that are of relevance also for BECs. A further example is the use of these fluids to mimic certain cosmological phenomena ranging from event horizon kinematics to dynamical Casimir effects. This is an experimental (laser physics) project that will also involve numerical modelling.
Please send inquiry emails to Prof. Daniele Faccio at D.Faccio@hw.ac.uk