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Phase Transitions

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...

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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Uncovering Hidden Dynamics of Natural Photonic Structures Using Holographic Imaging

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Probing a Dissipative Phase Transition via Dynamical Optical Hysteresis.

S R K Rodriguez¹, W Casteels², F Storme²

¹Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, C2N-Marcoussis, 91460 Marcoussis, France.

Physical Review Letters

|July 1, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

We observed optical hysteresis in semiconductor microcavities, finding that fluctuations cause a double power law decay that transitions to a single power law near the thermodynamic limit, indicating a dissipative phase transition.

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Area of Science:

Condensed matter physics
Quantum optics

Background:

Semiconductor microcavities exhibit complex optical phenomena.
Understanding dynamical hysteresis is crucial for quantum device applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally investigate the dynamical optical hysteresis in a semiconductor microcavity.
To analyze the influence of sweep time and fluctuations on hysteresis behavior.
To identify the underlying physics governing the observed phenomena, particularly phase transitions.

Main Methods:

Experimental measurement of optical hysteresis in a semiconductor microcavity.
Varying the sweep time to observe dynamical effects.
Analyzing the hysteresis area as a function of system parameters like average photon number.
Comparing experimental results with theoretical predictions for quantum fluctuations.

Main Results:

Hysteresis area shows a double power law decay influenced by fluctuations and metastable state switching.
The double power law transitions to a single power law as the system approaches the thermodynamic limit.
Observed algebraic behavior is characteristic of a dissipative phase transition.

Conclusions:

Experimental findings align with theoretical models of single-mode resonators with quantum fluctuations.
The study provides insights into critical phenomena in photonic systems.
The experimental approach is suitable for further exploration of critical phenomena in photonic lattices.