Description
Dicke superradiance is a phenomenon where atoms at an identical location synchronize and collectively emit photons in a short, bright burst. We investigate the many-body decay of an extended array of atoms coupled to a one-dimensional optical channel. We show that Dicke superradiance in waveguides is intrinsically different from superradiance in cavities and free space, as there are two distinct decay channels competing with each other. We derive the minimal condition for the burst to happen as a function of the number of atoms, the interatomic distance, and decay rates into the waveguide and non-guided modes. The existence of two decay channels gives rise to the creation of dark states in the few-excitation subspace. Exotic probability distributions for the emitted photons emerge: while the first photon is emitted randomly to the left or to the right, correlations imprinted on the array enhance the possibility of a subsequent photon to be emitted in the same direction, yielding an avalanche process. These results are relevant to current experiments in waveguide QED with cold atoms coupled to nanofibers and superconducting qubits coupled to transmission lines.
| Presenter name | Silvia Cardenas-Lopez |
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| How will you attend ICAP-27? | I am planning on in-person attendance |
