Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Nonequilibrium Prethermal States in a Two-Dimensional Photon Fluid
Murad Abuzarli1, Nicolas Cherroret1, Tom Bienaimé1,2
1Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Sorbonne University, CNRS, ENS-PSL University, Collège de France, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
We report on the observation of a prethermal state in a nonequilibrium, two-dimensional fluid of light. Direct measurements of the first order coherence function of the fluid reveal the dynamical emergence of algebraic correlations, a quasi-steady-state with properties close to those of thermal superfluids. By a controlled increase of the fluctuations, we observe a crossover from algebraic to short-range (exponential) correlations. We interpret this phenomenon as a nonequilibrium precursor of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition.
Related Concept Videos
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about...
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium
Equilibrium Conditions for a Particle
To understand the concept of equilibrium, let us first consider the forces acting on an object. When different forces act on an object, they can...
The Bohr Model
Photoelectric Effect
The Pauli Exclusion Principle

