Dispersive and dissipative coupling of photon Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper experimentally investigates the synchronization of two photon Bose-Einstein condensates coupled dispersively or dissipatively, revealing robustness and differences in population dynamics, thus expanding analog simulation models.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental analysis of dispersive and dissipative coupling in photon Bose-Einstein condensates, highlighting their robustness and distinct behaviors.

Findings

Both couplings are robust against frequency detuning.

Similar time constants in establishing coherence for both couplings.

Differences in condensate populations under imbalanced pumping.

Abstract

The synchronization of coherent states of light has long been an important subject of basic research and technology. Recently, a new concept for analog computers has emerged where this synchronization process can be exploited to solve computationally hard problems - potentially faster and more energy-efficient than what can be achieved with conventional computer technology today. The unit cell of such systems consists of two coherent centers that are coupled to one another in a controlled manner. Here, we experimentally characterize and analyze the synchronization process of two photon Bose-Einstein condensates, which are coupled to one another, either dispersively or dissipatively. We show that both types of coupling are robust against a detuning of the condensate frequencies and show similar time constants in establishing mutual coherence. Significant differences between these couplings arise in the behaviour of the condensate populations under imbalanced optical pumping. The combination of these two types of coupling extends the class of physical models that can be investigated using analog simulations.