title: Kinetic theory for transverse optomechanical instabilities.
abstract: We investigate transverse symmetry-breaking instabilities emerging from the optomechanical coupling between light and the translational degrees of freedom of a collisionless, damping-free gas of cold, two-level atoms. We develop a kinetic theory that can also be mapped on to the case of an electron plasma under ponderomotive forces. A general criterion for the existence and spatial scale of transverse instabilities is identified; in particular, we demonstrate that monotonically decreasing velocity distribution functions are always unstable.
authors.affiliation: SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tesio
authors.affiliation: SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G R M
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Robb
authors.affiliation: SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ackemann
authors.affiliation: SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.affiliation: SUPA and Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0NG, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G-L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Oppo