arXiv:1503.04503 · Physical Review Letters

Superradiance for Atoms Trapped along a Photonic Crystal Waveguide

Akihisa Goban, Chen-Lung Hung, Jonathan D. Hood, Su‐Peng Yu, Juan A. Muniz, Oskar J. Painter, Harry J. Kimble

Published Aug 5, 2015• 539 citations

Abstract

We report observations of superradiance for atoms trapped in the near field of a photonic crystal waveguide (PCW). By fabricating the PCW with a band edge near the D(1) transition of atomic cesium, strong interaction is achieved between trapped atoms and guided-mode photons. Following short-pulse excitation, we record the decay of guided-mode emission and find a superradiant emission rate scaling as Γ̅(SR)∝N̅Γ(1D) for average atom number 0.19≲N̅≲2.6 atoms, where Γ(1D)/Γ'=1.0±0.1 is the peak single-atom radiative decay rate into the PCW guided mode, and Γ' is the radiative decay rate into all the other channels. These advances provide new tools for investigations of photon-mediated atom-atom interactions in the many-body regime.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.115.063601

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