Classical Light Dynamics Could Help Simulate Quantum Interactions

Insider Brief

• Researchers from Saint Louis University and two German institutions used numerical simulations to show that classical nonlinear light dynamics can induce effective photon interactions and thermalize quantum light.
• Single- and two-photon states propagating alongside intense classical light developed statistical distributions consistent with Rayleigh-Jeans and Boltzmann distributions.
• The approach could provide a platform for studying quantum thermodynamics and open quantum systems without requiring materials with strong single-photon nonlinearities.

PRESS RELEASE — An international research team of scientist from Saint Louis University (SLU) and two institutions in Germany has shown that multimode nonlinear optical platforms can be harnessed to induce effective quantum interactions between photons, subsequently thermalizing them.

In a study published in Sciences Advances, a research team from SLU’s School of Science and Engineering (SSE), the Max Born Institute, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has demonstrated that the nonlinear dynamics of classical light can influence single and two-photon quantum states.

The SLU team includes Şahin K. Özdemir, Ph.D., professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering; Ramy El-Ganainy, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Armando Perez-Leija, research scientist. Other authors include Fouad Chahrour, of the Max Born Institute and Humboldt University of Berlin, and Kurt Busch, professor of theoretical physics at the Institute of Physics in the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max Born Institute.