Physics & Astronomy Quantum Nano Seminar - Rivka Bekenstein, Harvard University - N.A. - (Hanover, NH)

Abstract: A century passed since Einstein published the theory of General Relativity (GR), and some predictions of GR still elude observation. Hence, analogous systems, such as optical systems, have been suggested as emulation platforms. GR is inherently nonlinear: for example, masses dynamics is affected by the curved space they themselves induce. However, thus far all GR optical emulations demonstrated linear dynamics, where fix curved background determines the evolution of the electromagnetic (EM) waves. I will discuss our demonstration of analogous gravitational effects with optical wavepackets under a long-range thermal nonlinearity. This optical system is mathematically equivalent to the Newton–Schrödinger model, which has been studied strictly theoretically, and describe a mass density evolving according to the Schrödinger equation in the presence of a gravitational potential created by the mass density itself.