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The piston Riemann problem in a photon superfluid

Author

Listed:
  • Abdelkrim Bendahmane

    (Univ. Lille)

  • Gang Xu

    (Univ. Lille)

  • Matteo Conforti

    (Univ. Lille)

  • Alexandre Kudlinski

    (Univ. Lille)

  • Arnaud Mussot

    (Univ. Lille)

  • Stefano Trillo

    (University of Ferrara)

Abstract

Light flow in nonlinear media can exhibit quantum hydrodynamical features which are profoundly different from those of classical fluids. Here, we show that a rather extreme regime of quantum hydrodynamics can be accessed by exploring the piston problem (a paradigm in gas dynamics) for light, and its generalization, named after the celebrated mathematician Riemann, where the piston acts on a concomitant abrupt change of photon density. Our experiment reveals regimes featuring optical rarefaction (retracting piston) or shock (pushing piston) wave pairs, and most importantly the transition to a peculiar type of flow, occurring above a precise critical piston velocity, where the light shocks are smoothly interconnected by a large contrast, periodic, fully nonlinear wave. The transition to such extreme hydrodynamic state is generic for superfluids, but to date remained elusive to any other quantum fluid system. Our full-fiber setup used to observe this phenomenon in temporal domain proves to be a versatile alternative to other platforms currently employed to investigate the hydrodynamical properties of quantum fluids of light.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdelkrim Bendahmane & Gang Xu & Matteo Conforti & Alexandre Kudlinski & Arnaud Mussot & Stefano Trillo, 2022. "The piston Riemann problem in a photon superfluid," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-30734-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30734-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. G. Xu & D. Vocke & D. Faccio & J. Garnier & T. Roger & S. Trillo & A. Picozzi, 2015. "From coherent shocklets to giant collective incoherent shock waves in nonlocal turbulent flows," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-10, November.
    2. Maren E. Mossman & Mark A. Hoefer & Keith Julien & P. G. Kevrekidis & P. Engels, 2018. "Dissipative shock waves generated by a quantum-mechanical piston," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-7, December.
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