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Overview

Background:
Due to the lack of photon number conservation, in thermodynamics of photons, the chemical potential is absent. However, having a non-zero chemical potential is crucial in understanding a wide variety of single and many-body effects, from transport in conductors and semi-conductors to phase transitions in electronic and atomic systems.

Innovation:
Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a method to solve the issue of chemical potential and thermalization in photonic systems. By using a direct modification of the system-bath coupling via parametric oscillation, researchers have created an effective chemical potential for photons even in the thermodynamic limit. This approach allows one to build from well-established theoretical tools for non-equilibrium problems with chemical potential imbalances, like the ones that occur in circuits and cold atom systems, rather than the thornier problems associated with driven steady-state systems more typical to the quantum optical domain.

Applications

· Quantum simulation
· Quantum state and bath engineering
· Electron-like circuits with light

Advantages

· Feasible using current technology: circuit-QED and optomechanics

Contact Info

UM Ventures
0134 Lee Building
7809 Regents Drive
College Park, MD 20742
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (301) 405-3947 | Fax: (301) 314-9502