Critical speed of a binary superfluid of light.

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Title: Critical speed of a binary superfluid of light.
Authors: Larré, Pierre-Élie1 (AUTHOR) pierre-elie.larre@universite-paris-saclay.fr, Michel, Claire2,3 (AUTHOR) claire.michel@univ-cotedazur.fr, Cherroret, Nicolas4 (AUTHOR) nicolas.cherroret@lkb.upmc.fr
Source: European Physical Journal D (EPJ D). May2026, Vol. 80 Issue 5, p1-19. 19p.
Subjects: Superfluidity, Nonlinear Schrödinger equation, Speed, Quasiparticles, Quantum fluids, Vortex shedding, Photon flux
Abstract: We theoretically study the critical speed for superfluid flow of a two-dimensional miscible binary superfluid of light past a polarization-sensitive optical obstacle. This speed corresponds to the maximum mean flow velocity below which dissipation is absent. In the weak-obstacle regime, linear-response theory shows that the critical speed is set by Landau's criterion applied to the density and spin Bogoliubov modes, whose relative ordering can be inverted due to saturation of the optical nonlinearity. For obstacles of arbitrary strength and large spatial extent, we determine the critical speed from the conditions for strong ellipticity of the stationary hydrodynamic equations within the hydraulic and incompressible approximations. Numerical simulations in this regime reveal that the breakdown of superfluidity is initiated by the nucleation of vortex-antivortex pairs for an impenetrable obstacle and of Jones-Roberts solitons for a penetrable obstacle. Beyond superfluids of light, our results provide a general framework for the critical speed of two-dimensional binary nonlinear Schrödinger superflows, including Bose-Bose quantum mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of European Physical Journal D (EPJ D) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22European+Physical+Journal+D+%28EPJ+D%29%22">European Physical Journal D (EPJ D)</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 80 Issue 5, p1-19. 19p.
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  Data: We theoretically study the critical speed for superfluid flow of a two-dimensional miscible binary superfluid of light past a polarization-sensitive optical obstacle. This speed corresponds to the maximum mean flow velocity below which dissipation is absent. In the weak-obstacle regime, linear-response theory shows that the critical speed is set by Landau's criterion applied to the density and spin Bogoliubov modes, whose relative ordering can be inverted due to saturation of the optical nonlinearity. For obstacles of arbitrary strength and large spatial extent, we determine the critical speed from the conditions for strong ellipticity of the stationary hydrodynamic equations within the hydraulic and incompressible approximations. Numerical simulations in this regime reveal that the breakdown of superfluidity is initiated by the nucleation of vortex-antivortex pairs for an impenetrable obstacle and of Jones-Roberts solitons for a penetrable obstacle. Beyond superfluids of light, our results provide a general framework for the critical speed of two-dimensional binary nonlinear Schrödinger superflows, including Bose-Bose quantum mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of European Physical Journal D (EPJ D) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1140/epjd/s10053-026-01176-1
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 19
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    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Superfluidity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Nonlinear Schrödinger equation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Speed
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Quasiparticles
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Quantum fluids
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vortex shedding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Photon flux
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Critical speed of a binary superfluid of light.
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            NameFull: Larré, Pierre-Élie
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            NameFull: Michel, Claire
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            NameFull: Cherroret, Nicolas
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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