# Thermalization kinetics of light: From laser dynamics to equilibrium condensation of photons

Source: [Thermalization kinetics of light: From laser dynamics to equilibrium condensation of photons](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/68fa32101e209131ce8847a1>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2025-10-24T19:15:39.815Z

Authors: Julian Schmitt, Tobias Damm, David Dung, Frank Vewinger, Jan Klaers, Martin Weitz

Published: 2014-10-21T15:50:15.000Z

## Abstract

We report a time-resolved study of the thermalization dynamics and the lasing to photon Bose-Einstein condensation crossover by in-\\textit{situ} monitoring the photon kinetics in a dye microcavity. When the equilibration of the light to the dye temperature by absorption and re-emission is faster than photon loss in the cavity, the optical spectrum becomes Bose-Einstein distributed and photons accumulate at low-energy states, forming a Bose-Einstein condensate. The thermalization of the photon gas and its evolution from nonequilibrium initial distributions to condensation is monitored in real-time. In contrast, if photons leave the cavity before they thermalize, the system operates as a laser.

## Recorded benchmark results

A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage.

## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/1410.5713>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/1410.5713.pdf>)