Lukas M. Sieberer

Dynamical critical phenomena in driven-dissipative systems.

We explore the nature of the Bose condensation transition in driven open quantum systems, such as exciton-polariton condensates. Using a functional renormalization group approach formulated in the Keldysh framework, we characterize the dynamical critical behavior that governs decoherence and an effective thermalization of the low frequency dynamics. We identify a critical exponent special to the driven system, showing that it defines a new dynamical universality class. Hence critical points in driven systems lie beyond the standard classification of equilibrium dynamical phase transitions. We show how the new critical exponent can be probed in experiments with driven cold atomic systems and exciton-polariton condensates.

Nonequilibrium functional renormalization for driven-dissipative Bose-Einstein condensation

We present a comprehensive analysis of critical behavior in the driven-dissipative Bose condensation transition in three spatial dimensions. Starting point is a microscopic description of the system in terms of a many-body quantum master equation, where coherent and driven-dissipative dynamics occur on an equal footing. An equivalent Keldysh real time functional integral reformulation opens up the problem to a practical evaluation using the tools of quantum field theory. In particular, we develop a functional renormalization group approach to quantitatively explore the universality class of this stationary non-equilibrium system. Key results comprise the emergence of an asymptotic thermalization of the distribution function, while manifest non-equilibrium properties are witnessed in the response properties in terms of a new, independent critical exponent. Thus the driven-dissipative microscopic nature is seen to bear observable consequences on the largest length scales. The absence of two symmetries present in closed equilibrium systems - underlying particle number conservation and detailed balance, respectively - is identified as the root of this new non-equilibrium critical behavior. Our results are relevant for broad ranges of open quantum systems on the interface of quantum optics and many-body physics, from exciton-polariton condensates to cold atomic gases.

Thermodynamic Equilibrium as a Symmetry of the Schwinger-Keldysh Action

The time evolution of an extended quantum system can be theoretically described in terms of the Schwinger-Keldysh functional integral formalism, whose action conveniently encodes the information about the dynamics. We show here that the action of quantum systems evolving in thermal equilibrium is invariant under a symmetry transformation which distinguishes them from generic open systems. A unitary or dissipative dynamics having this symmetry naturally leads to the emergence of a Gibbs thermal stationary state. Moreover, the fluctuation-dissipation relations characterizing the linear response of an equilibrium system to external perturbations can be derived as the Ward-Takahashi identities associated with this symmetry. Accordingly, the latter provides an efficient check for the onset of thermodynamic equilibrium and it makes testing the validity of fluctuation-dissipation relations unnecessary. In the classical limit, this symmetry renders the one which is known to characterize equilibrium in the stochastic dynamics of classical systems coupled to thermal baths, described by Langevin equations.

Collective modes, stability, and superfluid transition of a quasi-two-dimensional dipolar Fermi gas

We examine collective modes, stability, and BCS pairing in a quasi-two-dimensional gas of dipolar fermions aligned by an external field. By using the (conserving) Hartree-Fock approximation, which treats direct and exchange interactions on an equal footing, we obtain the spectrum of single-particle excitations and long wavelength collective modes (zero sound) in the normal phase. It appears that exchange interactions result in strong damping of zero sound when the tilting angle between the dipoles and the normal to the plane of confinement is below some critical value. In particular, zero sound cannot propagate if the dipoles are perpendicular to the plane of confinement. At intermediate coupling we find unstable modes that can lead either to collapse of the system or the formation of a density wave. The BCS transition to a superfluid phase, on the other hand, occurs at arbitrarily weak strengths of the dipole-dipole interaction, provided the tilting angle exceeds a critical value. We determine the critical temperature of the transition taking into account many-body effects as well as virtual transitions to higher excited states in the confining potential, and discuss prospects of experimental observations.

Scaling properties of one-dimensional driven-dissipative condensates

We numerically investigate the scaling properties of a one-dimensional driven-dissipative condensate described by a stochastic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation (SCGLE). We directly extract the static and dynamical scaling exponents from the dynamics of the condensates phase field, and find that both coincide with the ones of the one-dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation. We furthermore calculate the spatial and the temporal two-point correlation functions of the condensate field itself. The decay of the temporal two-point correlator assumes a stretched-exponential form, providing further quantitative evidence for an effective KPZ description. Moreover, we confirm the observability of this non-equilibrium scaling for typical current experimental setups with exciton-polariton systems, if cavities with a reduced

Electrodynamic duality and vortex unbinding in driven-dissipative condensates

Q

Lattice duality for the compact Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation

factor are used.

Tuning across Universalities with a Driven Open Condensate

We investigate the superfluid properties of two-dimensional driven Bose liquids, such as polariton condensates, using their long-wavelength description in terms of a compact Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation for the phase dynamics. We account for topological defects (vortices) in the phase field through a duality mapping between the compact KPZ equation and a theory of non-linear electrodynamics coupled to charges. Using the dual theory we derive renormalization group equations that describe vortex unbinding in these media. When the non-equilibirum drive is turned off, the KPZ non-linearity {\lambda} vanishes and the RG flow gives the usual Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition. On the other hand, with non-linearity {\lambda} > 0 vortices always unbind, even if the same system with {\lambda} = 0 is superfluid. We predict the finite size scaling behavior of the superfluid stiffness in the crossover governed by vortex unbinding showing its clear distinction from the scaling associated with the KT transition.

Two-Dimensional Superfluidity of Exciton Polaritons Requires Strong Anisotropy

A comprehensive theory of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in two-dimensional superfluids in thermal equilibrium can be developed within a dual representation which maps vortices in the superfluid to charges in a Coulomb gas. In this framework, the dissociation of vortex-antivortex pairs at the critical temperature corresponds to the formation of a plasma of free charges. The physics of vortex unbinding in driven-dissipative systems such as fluids of light, on the other hand, is much less understood. Here we make a crucial step to fill this gap by deriving a transformation that maps the compact Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation, which describes the dynamics of the phase of a driven-dissipative condensate, to a dual electrodynamic theory. The latter is formulated in terms of modified Maxwell equations for the electromagnetic fields and a diffusion equation for the charges representing vortices in the KPZ equation. This mapping utilizes an adaption of the Villain approximation to a generalized Martin-Siggia-Rose functional integral representation of the compact KPZ equation on a lattice.

Programmable superpositions of Ising configurations

Driven-dissipative systems in two dimensions can differ substantially from their equilibrium counterparts. In particular, a dramatic loss of off-diagonal algebraic order and superfluidity has been predicted to occur due to the interplay between coherent dynamics and external drive and dissipation in the thermodynamic limit. We show here that the order adopted by the system can be substantially altered by a simple, experimentally viable, tuning of the driving process. More precisely, by considering the long-wavelength phase dynamics of a polariton quantum fluid in the optical parametric oscillator regime, we demonstrate that simply changing the strength of the pumping mechanism in an appropriate parameter range can substantially alter the level of effective spatial anisotropy induced by the driving laser, and move the system into distinct scaling regimes. These include: (i) the classic algebraically ordered superfluid below the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition, as in equilibrium; (ii) the non-equilibrium, long-wave-length fluctuation dominated Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) phase; and the two associated topological defect dominated disordered phases caused by proliferation of (iii) entropic BKT vortex-antivortex pairs or (iv) repelling vortices in the KPZ phase. Further, by analysing the renormalization group flow in a finite system, we examine the length scales associated with these phases, and assess their observability in current experimental conditions.