Dicke Superradiance in Solids

Abstract

Recent advances in optical studies of condensed matter have led to the emergence of phenomena that have conventionally been studied in the realm of quantum optics. These studies have not only deepened our understanding of light-matter interactions but also introduced aspects of many-body correlations inherent in optical processes in condensed matter systems. This article is concerned with superradiance (SR), a profound quantum optical process predicted by Dicke in 1954. The basic concept of SR applies to a general $N$-body system where constituent oscillating dipoles couple together through interaction with a common light field and accelerate the radiative decay of the system. In the most fascinating manifestation of SR, known as superfluorescence (SF), an incoherently prepared system of $N$ inverted atoms spontaneously develops macroscopic coherence from vacuum fluctuations and produces a delayed pulse of coherent light whose peak intensity $\propto N^2$. Such SF pulses have been observed in atomic and molecular gases, and their intriguing quantum nature has been unambiguously demonstrated. Here, we focus on the rapidly developing field of research on SR in solids, where not only photon-mediated coupling but also strong Coulomb interactions and ultrafast scattering exist. We describe SR and SF in molecular centers in solids, molecular aggregates and crystals, quantum dots, and quantum wells. In particular, we will summarize a series of studies we have recently performed on quantum wells in strong magnetic fields. These studies show that cooperative effects in solid-state systems are not merely small corrections that require exotic conditions to be observed; rather, they can dominate the nonequilibrium dynamics and light emission processes of the entire system of interacting electrons.