A research team led by Dominik Schneble, a professor at Stony Brook University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, has made significant advancements in the field of quantum optics. Their study reveals a new regime for cooperative radiative phenomena, offering insights into a long-standing problem.
The findings on previously unseen collective spontaneous emission effects were achieved using an array of synthetic atoms. These results have been published in Nature Physics and are accompanied by a theoretical paper in Physical Review Research.
Spontaneous emission occurs when an excited atom transitions to a lower-energy state, emitting a photon. Historically, R.H. Dicke proposed that when two atoms are involved, their interaction could lead to phenomena known as superradiance and subradiance, where the decay process is affected by the phase relationship between atoms.
Schneble's team utilized ultracold atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice to explore these effects further. By controlling arrays of emitters with various interactions, they demonstrated directional collective emission and examined the dynamics of super- and subradiant states.
“Dicke’s ideas are of great significance in quantum information science and technology (QIST),” said Schneble. The team's work allows unprecedented control over subradiant states, providing insights into radiation behavior within arrays.
Former PhD students Youngshin Kim and Alfonso Lanuza contributed to this research. Kim noted the importance of communication between neighboring emitters for forming superradiant states: “We see how collective decay from a superradiant state containing a single excitation takes time to form.”
Lanuza described the complexity involved as similar to "a complicated game of catch and release," emphasizing the challenge presented by multiple interacting atoms and photons.
This research establishes ultracold matter waves as valuable tools for studying many-body quantum optics systems. The project received support from the National Science Foundation and Stony Brook's Center for Distributed Quantum Processing (CDQP).