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arXiv:1601.01717 · The Astrophysical Journal

DICKE’S SUPERRADIANCE IN ASTROPHYSICS. I. THE 21 cm LINE

Fereshteh Rajabi, Martin Houde

Published Aug 1, 2016• 20 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

ABSTRACT We have applied the concept of superradiance introduced by Dicke in 1954 to astrophysics by extending the corresponding analysis to the magnetic dipole interaction characterizing the atomic hydrogen 21 cm line. Although it is unlikely that superradiance could take place in thermally relaxed regions and that the lack of observational evidence of masers for this transition reduces the probability of detecting superradiance, in situations where the conditions necessary for superradiance are met (close atomic spacing, high velocity coherence, population inversion, and long dephasing timescales compared to those related to coherent behavior), our results suggest that relatively low levels of population inversion over short astronomical length-scales (e.g., as compared to those required for maser amplification) can lead to the cooperative behavior required for superradiance in the interstellar medium. Given the results of our analysis, we expect the observational properties of 21 cm superradiance to be characterized by the emission of high-intensity, spatially compact, burst-like features potentially taking place over short periods ranging from minutes to days.

DOI
10.3847/0004-637x/826/2/216

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Soviet Physics Uspekhi•Aug 31, 1980•143 citations
ABSTRACT We have applied the concept of superradiance introduced by Dicke in 1954 to astrophysics by extending the corresponding analysis to the magnetic dipole interaction characterizing the atomic hydrogen 21 cm line. Although it is unlikely that superradiance could take place in thermally relaxed regions and that the lack of observational evidence of masers for this transition reduces the probability of detecting superradiance, in situations where the conditions necessary for superradiance are met (close atomic spacing, high velocity coherence, population inversion, and long dephasing timescales compared to those related to coherent behavior), our results suggest that relatively low levels of population inversion over short astronomical length-scales (e.g., as compared to those required for maser amplification) can lead to the cooperative behavior required for superradiance in the interstellar medium. Given the results of our analysis, we expect the observational properties of 21 cm superradiance to be characterized by the emission of high-intensity, spatially compact, burst-like features potentially taking place over short periods ranging from minutes to days.
ABSTRACT We consider the radiation properties and processes of a gas with a population inversion using the formalism based on the Maxwell–Bloch equations. We focus on the maser action and Dicke’s superradiance to establish their relationship in the overall radiation process during the temporal evolution of the system as a function of position. We show that the maser action and superradiance are not competing phenomena but are rather complementary and define two distinct limits for the intensity of radiation. Masers characterize the quasi-steady state limit, when the population inversion density and the polarization amplitude vary on time-scales longer than those of non-coherent processes affecting their evolution (e.g. collisions), while superradiance defines the fast transient regime taking place when these conditions are reversed. We show how a transition from a maser regime to superradiance will take place whenever a critical threshold for the column density of the population inversion is reached, at which point a strong level of coherence is established in the system and a powerful burst of radiation can ensue during the transient regime. This critical level also determines the spatial region where a transition from the unsaturated to the saturated maser regimes will take place; superradiance can thus be seen as the intermediary between the two. We also quantify the gain in radiation intensity attained during the superradiance phase relative to the two maser regimes and show how the strong coherence level during superradiance is well suited to explain observations that reveal intense and fast radiation flares in maser-hosting regions.
Fully-excited two-level atoms separated by less than the transition wavelength cooperatively emit light in a short burst, a phenomenon called superradiance by R. Dicke in 1954. The burst is characterized by a maximum intensity scaling with the square of the number of atoms NNN and a temporal width reduced by NNN compared to the single atom spontaneous decay time. Both effects are usually attributed to a synchronization of the electric dipole moments of the atoms occurring during the process of light emission. Contrary to this explanation, it was recently shown by use of a quantum path description that the peak intensity results from the quantum correlations among the atoms when occupying symmetric Dicke states. Here we investigate from this perspective the temporal evolution of the ensemble, starting in the small sample limit, i.e., when the atoms have mutual separations much smaller than the transition wavelength λλλ and pass down the ladder of symmetric Dicke states. In addition, we explore the temporal evolution for the case of non-interacting atoms with mutual separations much larger than λλλ. We show that in this case a similar superradiant burst of the emitted radiation is observed if the quantum correlations of the atoms are generated by conditional photon measurements retaining the atomic ensemble within or close to the symmetric subspace.
Fully excited two-level atoms separated by less than the transition wavelength cooperatively emit light in a short burst, a phenomenon called superradiance by R. Dicke in 1954 [Phys. Rev. 93, 99 (1954)]. The burst is characterized by a maximum intensity scaling with the square of the number of atoms NNN and a temporal width reduced by NNN compared to the single atom spontaneous decay time. Both effects are usually attributed to a synchronization of the electric dipole moments of the atoms occurring during the process of light emission. Contrary to this explanation, it was recently shown by use of a quantum path description that the peak intensity results from the quantum correlations among the atoms when occupying symmetric Dicke states. Here we investigate from this perspective the temporal evolution of the ensemble, starting in the small sample limit, i.e., when the atoms have mutual separations much smaller than the transition wavelength $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and pass down the ladder of symmetric Dicke states. In addition, we explore the temporal evolution for the case of distant noninteracting atoms with mutual separations much larger than $\ensuremath{\lambda}$. We show that in this case a similar superradiant burst of the emitted radiation is observed if the quantum correlations of the atoms are generated by conditional photon measurements retaining the atomic ensemble within or close to the symmetric subspace.
We derive relativistic Maxwell-Bloch equations for potential applications in astronomical environments, where various radiative processes are known to occur, including the maser action and Dicke's superradiance. We show that for both phenomena a radiating system's response is preserved at different relative velocities between the system's rest frame and the observer, while the relevant timescales and the radiation intensity transform as expected from relativistic considerations. We verify that the level of coherence between groups of emitters travelling at different speeds is unchanged in all reference frames. We also derive relativistic versions of the maser equations applicable in the steady-state regime.
A detailed study of superradiance at the Thallium green line (λ=535.0 nm ) in Thallium–Mercury (Tl–Hg) system is reported. High peak power of 1 kW delivered in short pulse duration of 4 nsec (FWHM) has been obtained. Attempts have also been made experimentally to determine the various time constants viz. inhomogeneous dephasing time, decay time, characteristic time, delay time etc. along with their inequality relations for the Tl–Hg system. The experimental results of superradiance in Tl are compared with those predicted theoretically by M. S. Feld et al.2
The present state of theoretical and experimental research on collective spontaneous emission (superradiance) in a system of radiators (atoms, molecules, or nuclei) is reviewed. The distinction between superradiance and the amplification of spontaneous emission is discussed. There is also a discussion of conditions under which the effect can be observed and of various theoretical methods for describing superradiance: the quantum single-mode and multimode models and the semiclassical approach. Theoretical papers on superradiance in systems with dimensions smaller than the wavelength of the radiation and also in extended systems are reviewed. It is shown that superradiance may occur in weakly amplifying media. A situation in which the superradiance is oscillatory is described. The possible use of superradiance to generate coherent emission in the x-ray and ? ranges is discussed. The superradiance accompanying Raman scattering of light in atomic and molecular media is studied. The theoretical results are compared with experimental observations of superradiance in the optical range. In an appendix, the nature of the phase transition in a system of radiators interacting through an electromagnetic field is discussed.