A dissipation-induced superradiant transition in a strontium cavity-QED system

Driven-dissipative many-body systems are ubiquitous in nature and a fundamental resource for quantum technologies. However, they are also complex and hard to model because they cannot be described by the standard tools in equilibrium statistical mechanics. Probing nonequilibrium critical phenomena in pristine setups can illuminate fresh perspectives on these systems. Here, we use an ensemble of cold ⁸⁸Sr atoms coupled to a driven high-finesse cavity to study the cooperative resonance fluorescence (CRF) model, a classic driven-dissipative model describing coherently driven dipoles superradiantly emitting light. We observe its nonequilibrium phase diagram characterized by a second-order phase transition. Below a critical drive strength, the atoms quickly reach the so-called superradiant steady state featuring a macroscopic dipole moment; above the critical point, the atoms undergo persistent Rabi-like oscillations. At longer times, spontaneous emission transforms the second-order transition into a discontinuous first-order transition. Our observations pave the way for harnessing robust entangled states and exploring boundary time crystals in driven-dissipative systems.