2017/04/30 by Alberto Biella, Florent Storme, José Lebreuilly +4
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Diagram #Mathematics #Neural Networks and Reservoir Computing #Nonlinear Photonic Systems #Optics #Phase (matter) #Phase diagram #Photonics #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Statistical physics #Statistics #Strong Light-Matter Interactions #cond-mat.other #cond-mat.stat-mech #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.96.023839
published as Phys. Rev. A 96, 023839 (2017) · 12 pages, 9 figures
openalex created_date 2017/05/12 · openalex publication_date 2017/08/17 · arxiv created 2017/08/24 · arxiv updated 2017/08/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We explore theoretically the nonequilibrium photonic phases of an array of coupled cavities in presence of incoherent driving and dissipation. In particular, we consider a Hubbard model system where each site is a Kerr nonlinear resonator coupled to a two-level emitter, which is pumped incoherently. Within a Gutzwiller mean-field approach, we determine the steady-state phase diagram of such a system. We find that, at a critical value of the intercavity photon hopping rate, a second-order nonequilibrium phase transition associated with the spontaneous breaking of the U(1) symmetry occurs. The transition from an incompressible Mott-like photon fluid to a coherent delocalized phase is driven by commensurability effects and not by the competition between photon hopping and optical nonlinearity. The essence of the mean-field predictions is corroborated by finite-size simulations obtained with matrix product operators and corner-space renormalization methods.