Light-matter interaction induces a shadow vortex

Light-matter interaction induces a single positive vortex with swirling arms.

Homeotropic nematic liquid crystal cells with a photosensitive wall and negative dielectric anisotropy exhibit, under the influence of local illumination, stable vortexes with swirling arms that are trapped at the illuminated area. Close to the Fréedericksz transition an amplitude equation is derived, which allows us to understand the origin of the induced vortex and the competition between the...

Interaction Matter-Polarized Light

This chapter presents the process of interaction of light, mainly in the xray range, with matter. The subject is introduced by some experimental evidences of x-ray absorption, emission or scattering by different kinds of material. The ways of describing the electromagnetic wave field are then briefly presented before developing its interaction with an electron in an atom. This process is then a...

A Shadow Matter Universe

The cosmological and astrophysical implications of a shadow matter model which could also have interesting experimental consequences are examined. The model has identical microphysics for both the ordinary and shadow worlds but requires a macroscopic asymmetry from nucleosynthesis constraints. It is proposed that this macroscopic asymmetry can be generated at the quark-hadron phase transition. ...

Light-Matter Interaction in Nano-Photonic Systems

Light-matter interaction in free space

We review recent experimental advances in the field of efficient coupling of single atoms and light in free space. Furthermore, a comparison of efficient free space coupling and strong coupling in cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) is given. Free space coupling does not allow for observing oscillatory exchange between the light field and the atom which is the characteristic feature of strong ...