Work

Breaking the Exponential: Decoherence‐Driven Power‐Law Spontaneous Emission in Waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT We investigate the spontaneous emission of a two‐level system coupled to a photonic waveguide, showing that dynamical dephasing in the photon modes profoundly alters the decay law. In the absence of dephasing, the emitter displays conventional exponential decay followed by a long‐time power‐law tail – observable only at extremely low survival probabilities. Strikingly, when dephasing is introduced, a robust power‐law decay emerges already at short times, driven by photon diffusion in the dynamically disordered environment rather than spectral edge effects. These results reveal a novel, decoherence‐induced mechanism for non‐exponential spontaneous emission in waveguide QED platforms.

Source: Laser & Photonics Review

DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202501986

Author: Stefano Longhi

Institutions: Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Politecnico di Milano

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: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,880

OpenAlex ID: W7124292144

FWCI:

Cites: 68

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