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Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
Superradiance for Atoms Trapped along a Photonic Crystal Waveguide
A Goban1,2, C-L Hung1,2, J D Hood1,2
1Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics 12-33, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Scientists observed superradiance in cesium atoms coupled to a photonic crystal waveguide. This controlled light-matter interaction opens new avenues for studying quantum many-body physics.
Area of Science:
- Quantum optics
- Atomic physics
- Nanophotonics
Background:
- Superradiance is a quantum phenomenon where emitters decay collectively at a rate faster than individual emitters.
- Photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) offer a platform for controlling light-matter interactions due to their ability to confine photons.
- Strong coupling between atoms and guided photons is crucial for exploring quantum phenomena in the many-body regime.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally demonstrate and characterize superradiance in atoms strongly coupled to a PCW.
- To investigate the scaling of superradiant emission rates with the number of interacting atoms.
- To explore the potential of this system for studying photon-mediated atom-atom interactions.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a PCW with a band edge tuned to the D(1) transition of atomic cesium.
- Trapping of cesium atoms in the near field of the PCW.
- Excitation of atoms with short pulses and measurement of the decay of guided-mode emission.
Main Results:
- Observation of superradiance in trapped cesium atoms.
- Measured superradiant emission rate scaling as Γ̅(SR)∝N̅Γ(1D) for average atom numbers between 0.19 and 2.6.
- Determined the peak single-atom radiative decay rate into the PCW guided mode, Γ(1D)/Γ' = 1.0 ± 0.1.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully demonstrates controlled superradiance in a solid-state photonic system.
- The results validate the strong coupling regime and provide a foundation for exploring many-body physics.
- This platform offers new experimental tools for investigating quantum interactions mediated by photons.
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