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arXiv:2408.10121 · Communications in Theoretical Physics

Spontaneous polarized phase transitions and symmetry breaking in the imbalanced Dicke model

Jinling Lian, Ran Huang, Chao Gao, Lixian Yu, Qifeng Liang, Wu-Ming Liu

Published Sep 28, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Abstract We investigate the ground-state properties and quantum phase transitions of an ensemble consisting of $N$ four-level atoms within an optical cavity coupled to the single cavity mode and external laser fields. The system is described by an extended imbalanced Dicke model, in which the co- and counterrotating coupling terms are allowed to have different coupling strengths. Some novel polarized phases characterized by the phase differences between the cavity field or the atomic spin excitation and the Raman laser are found analytically. Meanwhile, the full phase diagram and quantum phase transitions are also revealed. Two sign-dependent coexisting phases have been identified, where the normal phase persists as a metastable state alongside the superradiant ground state. Finally, the breaking or restoration of the intrinsic symmetry in this system is addressed. It is found that besides the continuous $U(1)$ and discrete $\mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetries, the system also exhibits two reflection symmetries $\sigma_v$s, a central symmetry $C_2$ in the abstract position-momentum representation, and a discrete reflection parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetry, a parameter exchange symmetry $\mathcal{T}_\mathrm{ex}$ in the parameters space. These additional symmetries are governed by two Coxeter groups.

DOI
10.1088/1572-9494/aeacb4

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Abstract We investigate the ground-state properties and quantum phase transitions of an ensemble consisting of NNN four-level atoms within an optical cavity coupled to the single cavity mode and external laser fields. The system is described by an extended imbalanced Dicke model, in which the co- and counterrotating coupling terms are allowed to have different coupling strengths. Some novel polarized phases characterized by the phase differences between the cavity field or the atomic spin excitation and the Raman laser are found analytically. Meanwhile, the full phase diagram and quantum phase transitions are also revealed. Two sign-dependent coexisting phases have been identified, where the normal phase persists as a metastable state alongside the superradiant ground state. Finally, the breaking or restoration of the intrinsic symmetry in this system is addressed. It is found that besides the continuous U(1)U(1)U(1) and discrete Z2\mathbb{Z}_2Z2​ symmetries, the system also exhibits two reflection symmetries σv\sigma_vσv​s, a central symmetry C2C_2C2​ in the abstract position-momentum representation, and a discrete reflection parity-time (PT\mathcal{PT}PT) symmetry, a parameter exchange symmetry Tex\mathcal{T}_\mathrm{ex}Tex​ in the parameters space. These additional symmetries are governed by two Coxeter groups.
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Dicke model describes a collective interaction between the two-level atoms and the light cavity and has been predicted to show a peculiar quantum phase transition, which is a second-order phase transition from a normal phase (in a weak-coupling strength) to a superradiant phase (in a strong-coupling strength). The model plays an important role in illustrating the quantum ground-state properties of many-body macroscopic quantum states. In the experiment, Dicke quantum phase transition in an open system could be formed by a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. This experiment on the Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in the optical cavity have opened new frontiers, which could combine the cold atoms with quantum optics and makes it possible to enter into the strongly coupled regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. In strong coupled regime, the atoms exchange the photons many times before spontaneous emission and cavity losses set in. It has become a hot research topic in recent years and plays an important role in many fields of modern physics, such as condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, etc. It can be applied to the manipulation of the geometric phase and entanglement in quantum information and computing. Quantum phase transition has been widely studied for the Dicke model as a typical example. Many different research methods about the mean-field approximation have been used to analyze the ground state properties of the Dicke model. In this paper, we study the ground state properties of two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a single-mode cavity. Meanwhile, the associated quantum phase transition is described by the spin-coherent-state variational method, whose advantage is that the ground state energy and wave function can be obtained without the thermodynamic limit. By taking the average in the boson coherent state, we obtain an equivalent effective pesudospin Hamiltonian, which will be diagonalized by using the spin coherent state. Finally, we can obtain the energy functional, which is the basics of the variation to obtain the numerical solution of photon number and the expression of the atomic number and the ground state energy. This paper presents a rich phase diagram, which can be manipulated by changing the atom-field coupling imbalance between two components and the atom-field frequency detuning. While in the single-mode Dicke model there exist only the normal phase and the superradiation phase. When the frequency of one component atom is zero or the frequency of the two component atoms are equal in optical cavity, the system returns to the standard Dicke model, in which there occurs the second-order phase transition from the normal phase to the superradiant phase by adjusting the atom-field coupling. In conclusion, we discover that the stimulated radiation comes from the collective state of atomic population inversion, which does not exist in the single-mode Dicke model. Meanwhile, the new stimulated-radiation state S and S, which can only be produced by one component of the atom, are observed in the two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in the single-mode optical cavity. By adjusting the atom-field coupling imbalance and the atom-field frequency detuning (the blue or red detuning), the order of the superradiation state and the stimulated-radiation states can be exchanged between the two components of the atom.
The Dicke model (DM) serves as a paradigm for understanding collective light-matter interactions. We introduce the chiral Dicke model, a generalization where an atomic ensemble couples to a two-mode cavity via chiral interactions. Unlike the standard DM, the chiral DM is endowed with an inherent continuous U(1)U(1)U(1) symmetry associated with angular momentum conservation. The ground-state phase diagram and the associated quantum phase transitions are charted out, revealing a U(1)U(1)U(1)-broken superradiant phase that spans a broad parameter space. We demonstrate that the spectrum of quantum fluctuations is highly tunable in both the symmetric and broken phases. Strikingly, our calculations reveal that the system exhibits `multiversality', where distinct universality classes govern the transition between the same two phases. In particular, along a special line in parameter space, the dynamical critical exponent for the normal-superradiant phase transition changes from zν=1zν=1zν=1 to zν=1/2zν=1/2zν=1/2. Our work establishes the chiral Dicke model as a powerful platform to realize novel quantum phases and multiversal critical phenomena in light-matter coupled systems.
The Dicke model is a staple of theoretical cavity quantum electrodynamics (cavity QED), describing the interaction between an ensemble of atoms and a single radiation mode of an optical cavity. It is studied both quantum mechanically and semiclassically for two-level atoms, and demonstrates a rich variety of dynamics such as phase transitions, phase multistability, and chaos. In this work we explore an open, spin-1 Dicke model with independent co and counterrotating coupling terms as well as a quadratic Zeeman shift enabling control over the atomic energy-level structure. We investigate the stability of operator and moment equations under two approximations and show the system undergoes phase transitions. To compliment these results, we relax the aforementioned approximations and investigate the system semiclassically. We show evidence of phase transitions to steady-state and oscillatory superradiance in this semiclassical model, as well as the emergence of chaotic dynamics. The varied and complex behaviors admitted by the model highlights the need to more rigorously map its dynamics.