Nature of Optical Thermodynamic Pressure Exerted in Highly Multimoded Nonlinear Systems.

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear optics
• Thermodynamics
• Photonics

Background:

• Optical thermodynamics offers a framework for nonlinear multimoded photonic systems.
• A predicted pressure-like quantity (p[over ^]) conjugate to the number of modes (M) lacks clear physical interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the physical origin and dual nature of optical thermodynamic pressure.
• To derive a formalism simplifying radiation pressure quantification in nonlinear systems.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical derivation of optical thermodynamic pressure components.
• Numerical simulations in nonlinear optical structures.

Main Results:

• Optical thermodynamic pressure (p[over ^]) is split into electrodynamic radiation pressure and an entropic component.
• A simplified formalism for quantifying radiation pressure under nonlinear equilibrium conditions was established.
• The need for Maxwell stress tensor evaluation was eliminated.

Conclusions:

• The study clarifies the dual essence of optical thermodynamic pressure.
• The developed formalism aids in predicting and controlling radiation pressure in nonlinear electromagnetic settings.