Work

Robust Superradiance and Spontaneous Spin Ordering in Disordered Waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We study the collective emission of a disordered array of N excited two-level atoms into a one-dimensional photonic waveguide. In the perfectly ordered case, where atoms are spaced by exact integer multiples of the wavelength, the system exhibits the characteristic superradiant burst with a peak emission rate scaling as N 2 . Using large-scale semiclassical simulations, we find that this key signature of superradiance remains asymptotically robust under strong spatial and spectral disorder, but also exhibits subtle finite-size scaling toward this limit. To explain our observations, we provide an analytical variational estimate for the maximal decay rate, which tightly bounds the numerical results and reveals how disorder shapes the collective decay. Specifically, we find that even in the presence of strong disorder, the spins tend to self-organize spontaneously according to their locations, which overall optimizes constructive interference effects and explains the emergence of mirror-asymmetric correlations in superradiant decay. These findings resolve important open questions regarding the existence and nature of superradiance in strongly disordered arrays and offer valuable insights for understanding collective quantum optical phenomena in realistic systems.

Source: PRX Quantum

DOI: 10.1103/97jv-13r6

Authors: Xin H. H. Zhang, Daniel Malz, Peter Rabl

Institutions: Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology, Technical University of Munich, University of Copenhagen

Language: English

Topic: Quantum optics and atomic interactions

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,450

Funders: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Novo Nordisk