The equilibrium properties of a system of N two-level atoms interacting with a quantized field, the so-called Dicke model of superradiance, are evaluated exactly by the 'thermodynamically equivalent Hamiltonian' method of Bogoliubov et at. (1957). The results are identical with those obtained by Hepp and Lieb (1973) and Wang and Hioe (1973). The thermodynamically equivalent Hamiltonian is shown to be equivalent to the mean field Hamiltonian of the Ising model, which indicates why the transition from the 'normal' to the 'superradiant' state of the Dicke model is similar to the transition from the disordered to the ordered state of the Ising model.
The equilibrium properties of a system of N two-level atoms interacting with a quantized field, the so-called Dicke model of superradiance, are evaluated exactly by the 'thermodynamically equivalent Hamiltonian' method of Bogoliubov et at. (1957). The results are identical with those obtained by Hepp and Lieb (1973) and Wang and Hioe (1973). The thermodynamically equivalent Hamiltonian is shown to be equivalent to the mean field Hamiltonian of the Ising model, which indicates why the transition from the 'normal' to the 'superradiant' state of the Dicke model is similar to the transition from the disordered to the ordered state of the Ising model.
A system of N two-level atoms interacting with a quantized field, the so-called Dicke model of superradiance, is studied. By making use of a set of Glauber's coherent states for the field, the free energy of the system is calculated exactly in the thermodynamic limit. The results agree precisely with those obtained by Hepp and Lieb, who studied the same model using a different method. The exhibition of a phase transition of the system is presented mathematically in an elementary manner in our approach. The generalization to the case of finitely many radiation modes is also presented.
The Dicke model of superradiance studied in a previous paper by Wang and Hioe is generalized (i) to include an interaction energy of the form ${a}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{+}+a{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, where $a,{a}^{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}},{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{+}$ are the usual photon and spin operators, (ii) to include the spatial variation of the electromagnetic field, and (iii) to include the possibility of small classical motions of atoms from their equilibrium positions. The free energies of these generalized models are calculated exactly in the thermodynamic limit, and their phase-transition properties are presented.
Abstract The Dicke model describes the coupling between a quantized cavity field and a large ensemble of two‐level atoms. When the number of atoms tends to infinity, this model can undergo a transition to a superradiant phase, belonging to the mean‐field Ising universality class. The superradiant transition was first predicted for atoms in thermal equilibrium and was recently realized with a quantum simulator made of atoms in an optical cavity, subject to both dissipation and driving. This progress report offers an introduction to some theoretical concepts relevant to the Dicke model, reviewing the critical properties of the superradiant phase transition and the distinction between equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. In addition, it explains the fundamental difference between the superradiant phase transition and the more common lasing transition. This report mostly focuses on the steady states of atoms in single‐mode optical cavities, but it also mentions some aspects of real‐time dynamics, as well as other quantum simulators, including superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and using spin–orbit coupling for cold atoms. These realizations differ in regard to whether they describe equilibrium or nonequilibrium systems.
The Dicke model describes the collective behavior of a subwavelength-size ensemble of two-level atoms (i.e., spin-1/2) interacting identically with a single quantized radiation field of a cavity. Across a critical coupling strength it exhibits a zero-temperature phase transition from the normal state to the superradiant phase where the field is populated and the collective spin acquires a nonzero x component, which can be imagined as ferromagnetic ordering of the atomic spins along x. Here we introduce a variant of this model where two subwavelength-size ensembles of spins interact with a single quantized radiation field with different strengths. Subsequently, we restrict ourselves to a special case where the coupling strengths are opposite (which is unitarily equivalent to equal-coupling strengths). Because of the conservation of the total spin in each ensemble individually, the system supports two distinct superradiant states with x-ferromagnetic and x-ferrimagnetic spin ordering, coexisting with each other in a large parameter regime. The stability and dynamics of the system in the thermodynamic limit are examined using a semiclassical approach, which predicts nonstationary behaviors due to the multistabilities. At the end, we also perform small-scale full quantum-mechanical calculations, with results consistent with the semiclassical ones.
In this doctoral thesis, the thermodynamic phases und phase transitions of a generalised Dicke model are studied and characterised. Both, finite and vanishing temperatures are considered. The Dicke model of quantum optics describes collective phenomena which occur when light interacts with a many-atom system. In the thermodynamic limit, a so-called Hepp–Lieb superradiant phase transition sets in. A superradiant phase develops for low temperatures or strong coupling between light and atoms, which is characterised by a macroscopic excitation of the light field and a spontaneous, collective polarisation of the atoms. This thesis discusses a generalised version of the Dicke model, which is described by a quantum mechanical system consisting of three-level atoms in Lambda-configuration and two modes of a resonator. By means of the Holstein–Primakoff transformation, the Hamiltonian of this system is written in terms of four interacting, non-linear oscillators, which can be linearised in the thermodynamic limit, yielding the ground-state energy as well as the low-energy excitations. The phase diagram consisting of two superradiant phases separated by continuous and first-order phase transitions is derived. In order to clarify the question whether or not the superradiant phase transition of this generalised Dicke model can be observed experimentally for real atoms, the significance of the diamagnetic term is discussed. In contrast to the original Dicke model, superradiant phase transitions are possible in principle. This is due to the first-order phase transitions. In addition, a no-go theorem for continuous superradiant phase transitions is presented. The argument is based on the Thomas–Reiche–Kuhn sum rule. Last, we study the superradiant phase transition of the generalised Dicke model at finite temperatures. Therefore, the partition sum is computed and analysed in the thermodynamic limit using Laplace’s method. At finite temperatures, the properties of the phase diagram and phases remain. However, here all phase transitions are of first order.
The transition to the super-radiant regime in the Dicke model of two-level atoms interacting with a one-mode radiation field has been argued to be impossible for many years. Recently, however, experimental results show that this transition is possible in an open system [1, 2]. Here we exhibit the power of the use of coherent states with restored symmetry to describe the superradiant regime of the Dicke Hamiltonian. These symmetry-adapted states allow for an analytic description of both the ground and first excited states. From these, analytical expressions for all expectation values of interest are obtained, valid for any number of atoms. All these results are exact in the thermodynamic limit.