Theory of the Collective Many-body Subradiance in Waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics

Abstract

We present an analytical theory for the most subradiant modes in a finite one-dimensional emitter array coupled to either an ideal or a nonideal waveguide. Using an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian together with a Bragg-edge open-boundary ansatz, we derive compact expressions for the full complex collective eigenvalues, including both the linewidths and the collective energy shifts. The linewidths of the most subradiant states exhibit the characteristic $N^{-3}$ scaling in both cases, while in the deep-subwavelength regime they display even--odd oscillations due to boundary interference. In contrast, the collective energy shift approaches a separation-dependent asymptotic value with a leading finite-size correction scaling as $N^{-2}$. These results highlight the distinct physical origins of the imaginary and real parts of the subradiant eigenvalue: Bragg-edge destructive interference controls the linewidth, whereas near-field dipole--dipole interactions dominate the collective shift. Our theory provides a transparent framework beyond the ideal-waveguide limit and opens potential applications in subradiant spectroscopy and waveguide-QED-based sensing.