Experimental research in our labs over the past couple of years centered on development of quantum light sources that amplify quantum fluctuations to a macroscopic level. More and more, we explore the remarkable consequences of those strong quantum fluctuations and realized that phenomena we observe have a close link to others found in fields such as economics, geology, and biology, and which are known as power laws and Pareto principle. Currently, we explore the origins of those analogies—in particular the relationship to so-called rogue waves—and try to understand to what extent we can simulate those phenomena with our laboratory system.
Abteilungen Max-Planck-Institut für die Physik des Lichts, Erlangen