## Squeezing of a nonlocal photon fluid

Quantum fluids of light are an emerging tool employed in quantum many-body physics. Their amazing properties and versatility allow using them in a wide variety of fields including gravitation, quantum information, and simulation. However the implications of the quantum nature of light in nonlinear optical propagation are still missing many features. We theoretically predict classical spontaneous squeezing of a photon fluid in a nonlocal nonlinear medium. By using the so called Gamow vectors, we show that the quadratures of a coherent state get squeezed and that a maximal squeezing power exists. Our analysis holds true for temporal and spatial optical propagation in a highly nonlocal regime. These results lead to advances in the quantum photon fluids research and may inspire applications in fields like metrology and analogs of quantum gravity.

M.C.Braidotti, A. Mecozzi, C. Conti, Phys. Rev. A 96, 043823 (2017)

## Quantum Simulation of Rainbow Gravity

Rainbow gravity modifies general relativity by introducing an energy dependent metric, which is expected to have a role in the quantum theory of black holes and in quantum gravity at Planck energy scale. We show that rainbow gravity can be simulated in the laboratory by nonlinear waves in nonlocal media, as those occurring in Bose-condensed gases and nonlinear optics. We reveal that at a classical level, a nonlocal nonlinear Schr\”odinger equation may emulate the curved space time in proximity of a rotating black hole as dictated by the rainbow gravity scenario. We also demonstrate that a fully quantized analysis is possible. By the positive $\mathcal{P}$-representation, we study superradiance and show that the instability of a black-hole and the existence of an event horizon are inhibited by an energy dependent metric. Our results open the way to a number of fascinating experimental tests of quantum gravity theories and quantum field theory in curved manifolds, and also demonstrate that these theories may be novel tools for open problems in nonlinear quantum physics.

The picture below shows spectra and configuration of particles trapped in a quantum simulation of a black-hole.

Braidotti and Conti, in ArXiv:1708.02623

## Review In Annalen Der Physics on Time Asymmetric Quantum Mechanics

The description of irreversible phenomena is a still debated topic in quantum mechanics. Still nowadays, there is no clear procedure to distinguish the coupling with external baths from the intrinsic irreversibility in isolated systems. In 1928 Gamow introduced states with exponentially decaying observables not belonging to the conventional Hilbert space. These states are named Gamow vectors, and they belong to rigged Hilbert spaces. This review summarizes the contemporary approach using Gamow vectors and rigged Hilbert space formalism as foundations of a generalized “time asymmetric” quantum mechanics. We study the irreversible propagation of specific wave packets and show that the topic is surprisingly related to the problem of irreversibility of shock waves in classical nonlinear evolution. We specifically consider the applications in the field of nonlinear optics. We show that it is
possible to emulate irreversible quantum mechanical process by the nonlinear evolution of a laser beam and we provide experimental tests by the generation of dispersive shock waves in highly nonlocal regimes. We demonstrate experimentally the quantization of decay rates predicted by the time-asymmetric quantum mechanics. This work furnishes support to the idea of intrinsically irreversible wave propagation, and to novel tests of the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Time-Asymmetric Quantum Mechanics and Shock Waves: Exploring the Irreversibility in Nonlinear Optics, Annalen der Physik 10.1002/andp.201600349 (2017)

## Glauber oscillator and time travel

The standard quantum mechanics does not forbid time-travel. However, some alternative formulations (based on the so called “rigged Hilbert space”) include irreversibility as a fundamental principle: a quantum particle that decays cannot travel back in time.

There are not direct evidences of the irreversibility of decay processes, but the new quantum mechanics predicts that the decay rates are quantized.

If one observes the quantization of the decay rates, one can claim to have provided experimental support to the irreversible formulation of quantum mechanics.

In simple terms, one can claim that time-travel is not possible at the quantum level (…and also at the classical level).

Silvia Gentilini, Maria Chiara Braidotti, Giulia Marcucci, Eugenio Del Re, and Claudio Conti simulated in the laboratory one of the simplest models of the irreversible quantum mechanics, that follows an original proposal of Glauber. A laser beam emulates a quantum particle in a reversed harmonic oscillator, as a result the first experimental evidence of the quantization of decay time is reported in a paper published in Scientific Reports.

(reprint from the former complexlight.org website)

# Time travel is not possible*

## Press release on the Templeton project, Generalized Uncertainty Principle and The Photon (2015-2018)

Our paper on the Glauber oscillator and Time Travel had a relevant impact in the press …

http://www.repubblica.it/scienze/2015/11/06/news/ritorno_al_futuro_rassegnamoci_i_viaggi_nel_tempo_sono_impossibili-126767806/

http://www.ansa.it/scienza/notizie/rubriche/fisica/2015/11/06/ritorno-al-futuro-i-viaggi-nel-tempo-sono-impossibili_70ced271-9136-4996-ac6b-44d0ac732da0.html

http://www.media.inaf.it/2015/11/06/viaggi-nel-tempo-indietro-non-si-torna/

http://m.vanityfair.it/news/italia/15/11/07/scienza-dice-non-si-torna-indietro-nel-tempo

Comprehensive press release pdf files:

Rassegna stampa_cs_viaggi nel tempo (pdf 1)

Rassegna stampa_cs_viaggi nel tempo (pdf 2)

*maybe, if you are subnuclear particle in proximity of a supermassive black hole you may have some chances to go back in time for a femtosecond