. 24/7 Space News .
TECH SPACE
Marrying superconductors, lasers, and Bose-Einstein condensates
by Staff Writers
Orange CA (SPX) Jun 22, 2016


File image.

Chapman University Institute for Quantum Studies (IQS) member Yutaka Shikano, Ph.D., recently had research published in Scientific Reports. Superconductors are one of the most remarkable phenomena in physics, with amazing technological implications. Some of the technologies that would not be possible without superconductivity are extremely powerful magnets that levitate trains and MRI machines used to image the human body. The reason that superconductivity arises is now understood as a fundamentally quantum mechanical effect.

The basic idea of quantum mechanics is that at the microscopic scale everything, including matter and light, has a wave property to it. Normally the wave nature is not noticeable as the waves are very small, and all the waves are out of synchronization with each other, so that their effects are not important. For this reason, to observe quantum mechanical behavior experiments generally have to be performed at a very low temperature, and at microscopic length scales.

Superconductors, on the other hand, have a dramatic effect in the disappearance of resistance, changing the entire property of the material. The key quantum effect that occurs is that the quantum waves become highly synchronized and occur at a macroscopic level. This is now understood to be the same basic effect as that seen in lasers.

The similarity is that in a laser, all the photons making up the light are synchronized, and appear as one single coherent wave. In a superconductor the macroscopic wave is for the quantum waves of the electrons, instead of the photons, but the basic quantum feature is the same. Such macroscopic quantum waves have also been observed in Bose-Einstein condensates, where atoms cooled to nanokelvin temperatures all collapse into a single state.

Up until now, these related but distinct phenomena have only been observed separately. However, as superconductors, lasers, and Bose-Einstein condensates all share a common feature, it has been expected that it should be able to see these features at the same time. A recent experiment in a global collaborative effort with teams from Japan, the United States, and Germany have observed for the first time experimental indication that this expectation is true.

They tackled this problem by highly exciting exciton-polaritons, which are particle-like excitations in a semiconductor systems and formed by strong coupling between electron-hole pairs and photons. They observed high-energy side-peak emission that cannot be explained by two mechanisms known to date: Bose-Einstein condensation of exciton-polaritons, nor conventional semiconductor lasing driven by the optical gain from unbound electron hole plasma.

By combining the experimental data with their latest theory, they found a possibility that the peak originates from a strongly bound e-h pairs, which can persist in the presence of the high-quality optical cavity even for the lasing state. This scenario has been thought to be impossible since an e-h pair experiencing weakened binding force due to other electrons and/or holes breaks up in high-density.

The proposed scenario is closely related to the BCS physics, which was originally introduced by John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Robert Schrieffer to explain the origin of superconductivity. In the BCS theory, the superconductivity is an effect caused by a condensation of weakly bound electron pairs (Cooper pairs). In the latest theory of e-h pairs plus photons (e-h-p), bound e-h pairs' survival can be described in BCS theory of e-h-p system as an analogy of Cooper pairs in superconductivity.

"Although a full understanding of this observation has not yet been reached," said Dr. Tomoyuki Horikiri at Yokohama National University, and one of the authors on the study.

"The discovery provides an important step toward the clarification of the relationship between the BCS physics and the semiconductor lasers. The observation not only deepens the understanding of the highly-excited exciton-polariton systems, but also opens up a new avenue for exploring the non-equilibrium and dissipative many-body physics. In such practical application studies, there are still many quantum foundational questions."

The paper was published in Scientific Reports by Nature Publishing Group. In addition to Tomoyuki Horikiri, it was co-authored by Dr. Makoto Yamaguchi and Dr. Kenji Kamide and an international collaboration team including Tim Byrnes at New York University; Yutaka Shikano at Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences and Institute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University; Tetsuya Ogawa at Osaka University; Alfred Forchel at Universitat Wurzburg, and YoshihisaYamamoto at Stanford University and National Institute of Informatics.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
ChapmanUniversity
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
TECH SPACE
New approach to microlasers
Boston MA (SPX) Jun 19, 2016
Terahertz radiation - the band of electromagnetic radiation between microwaves and visible light - has promising applications in security and medical diagnostics, but such devices will require the development of compact, low-power, high-quality terahertz lasers. In this week's issue of Nature Photonics, researchers at MIT and Sandia National Laboratories describe a new way to build teraher ... read more


TECH SPACE
US may approve private venture moon mission: report

Fifty Years of Moon Dust

Airbus Defence and Space to guide lunar lander to the Moon

A new, water-logged history of the Moon

TECH SPACE
Rover Opportunity Wrapping up Study of Martian Valley

Delayed ExoMars mission gets 77-mln-euro boost

NASA signs space deal with United Arab Emirates

NASA Mars Rover Descends Plateau, Turns Toward Mountain

TECH SPACE
TED Talks aim for wider global reach

Disney brings its brand to Shanghai with new theme park

Tech, beauty intersect in Silicon Valley

Second Starliner Begins Assembly in Florida Factory

TECH SPACE
Experts Fear Chinese Space Station Could Crash Into Earth

Bolivia to pay back loan to China for Tupac Katari satellite

China plans 5 new space science satellites

NASA Chief: Congress Should Revise US-China Space Cooperation Law

TECH SPACE
Cygnus space capsule departs International Space Station

Russian, US Astronauts to Return From ISS on June 18

Astronauts enter inflatable room at space station

First steps into BEAM will expand the frontiers of habitats for space

TECH SPACE
Launch Vehicle Ascent Trajectories and Sequencing

MUOS-5 satellite encapsulated for launch

Airbus Safran Launchers confirms the maturity of the Ariane 6 launcher

Russian Proton-M Rocket Puts US Intelsat DLA-2 Satellite Into Orbit

TECH SPACE
Clouds, haze cause astronomers to overestimate size of exoplanets

New planet is largest discovered that orbits 2 suns

Smaller Stars Pack Big X-ray Punch for Would-Be Planets

Planet-Devouring Star Reveals Possible Limestone Crumbs

TECH SPACE
Cereal science: How scientists inverted the Cheerios effect

New approach to microlasers

Oregon chemists build a new, stable open-shell molecule

Neutrons reveal unexpected magnetism in rare-earth alloy









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.