Full quantum theory of nonequilibrium phonon condensation and phase transition

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive quantum theory of Fr"ohlich phonon condensation, revealing a second-order phase transition driven by nonequilibrium conditions, with significant fluctuations and unique characteristics distinct from equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensation.

Contribution

It provides the first analytical proof of a nonequilibrium phase transition in Fr"ohlich condensation derived from the Wu-Austin Hamiltonian, highlighting the role of external energy input and medium temperature.

Findings

Identification of a second-order phase transition in Fr"ohlich condensation.

Large fluctuations and negative Mandel-Q factor near criticality.

Distinct nonequilibrium mechanism compared to cold atom BEC.

Abstract

Fr\"olich condensation is a room-temperature nonequilibrium phenomenon which is expected to occur in many physical and biological systems. Though predicted theoretically a half century ago, the nature of such condensation remains elusive. In this Letter, we derive a full quantum theory of Fr\"ohlich condensation from the Wu-Austin Hamiltonian and present for the first time an analytical proof that a second-order phase transition induced by nonequilibrium and nonlinearity emerges in the large-$D$ limit with and without decorrelation approximation. This critical behavior cannot be witnessed if external sources are treated classically. We show that the phase transition is accompanied by large fluctuations in the statistical distribution of condensate phonons and that the Mandel-Q factor which characterizes fluctuations becomes negative in the limit of excessive external energy input. In contrast with the cold atom equilibrium BEC, the Fr\"ohlich condensate is a result of the nonequilibrium driving where the pump plays a role of setting the number of particles, and the medium plays a role of setting the temperature. Hence, BEC can either arise by reducing the medium temperature at fixed pump (equilibrium case), or by increasing the pump at fixed medium temperature (nonequilibrium case).