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Universal Two-Excitation Scattering in Two-Dimensional Subwavelength Atomic Arrays
Yidan Wang1, Oriol Rubies-Bigorda1,2, Valentin Walther3,4
1Harvard University, Department of Physics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|July 7, 2026
Summary
We discovered a universal phenomenon in subwavelength atomic arrays, simplifying complex light-matter interactions. Near critical points, photon scattering is suppressed, isolating dark spin wave interactions for quantum science applications.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Science
- Atomic Physics
- Optics
Background:
- Subwavelength atomic arrays enable strong light-matter interactions.
- Understanding multiexcitation dynamics in these arrays is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To uncover universal phenomena in the multiexcitation dynamics of atomic arrays.
- To simplify the analysis of two-excitation interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing scattering theory to analyze two-excitation interactions.
- Investigating critical points in the collective atomic excitation band structure.
Main Results:
- A universal simplification of scattering dynamics emerges near critical points.
- Two-excitation scattering matrices decompose into a block-diagonal form.
- Photon field scattering is suppressed, isolating dark spin wave interactions.
Conclusions:
- Findings provide exact analytical insights into few-body nonlinearities.
- Establishes a universal framework for analyzing scattering in ordered atomic systems.
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