Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

No-go theorem concerning the superradiant phase transition in atomic systems

Iwo Białynicki‐Birula, Kazimierz Rza̧żewski

Published Jan 1, 1979• 135 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It is proved that the superradiant phase transition cannot occur in a general system of atoms or molecules if only charges (not intrinsic magnetic moments) of the particles interact with a finite number of radiation modes in the dipole approximation.
DOI
10.1103/physreva.19.301

Related papers

No-go theorem for the superradiant phase transition without dipole approximation

Krzysztof Gawędzki, Kazimierz Rza̧żewski

A diamagnetic inequality is used to extend beyond the dipole approximation an earlier result concerning the nonexistence of the superradiant phase transition.Received 21 July 1980DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.23.2134©1981 American Physical Society

Physical Review A•May 1, 1981•51 citations

DICKE HAMILTONIAN AND SUPERRADIANT PHASE TRANSITIONS

E. DEL GIUDICE, Rosa Mele, Guiliano Preparata

We show that a correct analysis of the gauge-invariance properties of the em coupling of atomic systems with single-mode em radiation fields allows to overcome the “no-go” theorem for superradiant phase transitions in systems governed by the Dicke Hamiltonian

Modern Physics Letters B•Dec 10, 1993•14 citations

Uniqueness of the Phase Transition in Many-Dipole Cavity Quantum Electrodynamical Systems

Adam Stokes, Ahsan Nazir

The possibility of a superradiant phase transition in light-matter systems is the subject of much debate, due to numerous apparently conflicting no-go and counter no-go theorems. Using an arbitrary-gauge approach we show that a unique phase transition does occur in archetypal many-dipole cavity QED systems, and that it manifests unambiguously via a macroscopic gauge-invariant polarization. We find that the gauge choice controls the extent to which this polarization is included as part of the radiative quantum subsystem and thereby determines the degree to which the abnormal phase is classed as superradiant. This resolves the long-standing paradox of no-go and counter no-go theorems for superradiance, which are shown to refer to different definitions of radiation.

arXiv:1905.10697•Physical Review Letters•Sep 30, 2020•45 citations

Superradiant Phase Transitions and the Standard Description of Circuit QED

Oliver Viehmann, Jan von Delft, Florian Marquardt

We investigate the equilibrium behavior of a superconducting circuit QED system containing a large number of artificial atoms. It is shown that the currently accepted standard description of circuit QED via an effective model fails in an important aspect: it predicts the possibility of a superradiant phase transition, even though a full microscopic treatment reveals that a no-go theorem for such phase transitions known from cavity QED applies to circuit QED systems as well. We generalize the no-go theorem to the case of (artificial) atoms with many energy levels and thus make it more applicable for realistic cavity or circuit QED systems.

arXiv:1103.4639•Physical Review Letters•Sep 8, 2011•200 citations

Phase transitions in the anisotropic Dicke-Stark model with A 2 terms

Xiang-You Chen, Yuyu Zhang, Qing‐Hu Chen +1 more

The superradiant phase transition (SRT) is prohibited in the standard isotropic Dicke model by the no-go theorem, which is induced by the ${A}^{2}$ term. Within the Dicke model framework, we demonstrate that SRTs can occur at both zero and finite temperatures by independently tuning the rotating-wave and counter-rotating atom-cavity couplings and/or introducing nonlinear Stark coupling terms, thereby overcoming the no-go theorem. The phase transitions in the anisotropic Dicke-Stark model belong to the same universality class as the original Dicke model. We believe that we have proposed a feasible scheme for observing SRTs in future solid-state experiments.

arXiv:2405.19776•Physical Review A•Dec 26, 2024•9 citations

No-go theorem for photon condensation: a non-perturbative extension to first-order phase transitions

Gian Marcello Andolina, F. M. D. Pellegrino, Alberto Mercurio +3 more

Equilibrium phase transitions between a normal and a photon condensate state (also known as superradiant phase transitions) are a highly debated research topic, where proposals for their occurrence and no-go theorems have chased each other for the past four decades. Previous no-go theorems have demonstrated that gauge invariance forbids second-order phase transitions to a photon condensate state when the cavity-photon mode is assumed to be spatially uniform. First-order phase transitions were previously considered as possible paths to bypass the no-go theorem. In particular, it has been theoretically predicted that a collection of three-level systems coupled to light can display a first-order phase transition to a photon condensate state. Here, we lay down a general no-go theorem, which forbids first-order as well as second-order superradiant phase transitions in a spatially-uniform cavity field. By using the tools of lattice gauge theory, we then derive a fully gauge-invariant model for three-level systems coupled to light. In agreement with the general theorem, our model does not display photon condensation.

•Apr 19, 2021•5 citations
The possibility of a superradiant phase transition in light-matter systems is the subject of much debate, due to numerous apparently conflicting no-go and counter no-go theorems. Using an arbitrary-gauge approach we show that a unique phase transition does occur in archetypal many-dipole cavity QED systems, and that it manifests unambiguously via a macroscopic gauge-invariant polarization. We find that the gauge choice controls the extent to which this polarization is included as part of the radiative quantum subsystem and thereby determines the degree to which the abnormal phase is classed as superradiant. This resolves the long-standing paradox of no-go and counter no-go theorems for superradiance, which are shown to refer to different definitions of radiation.
We investigate the equilibrium behavior of a superconducting circuit QED system containing a large number of artificial atoms. It is shown that the currently accepted standard description of circuit QED via an effective model fails in an important aspect: it predicts the possibility of a superradiant phase transition, even though a full microscopic treatment reveals that a no-go theorem for such phase transitions known from cavity QED applies to circuit QED systems as well. We generalize the no-go theorem to the case of (artificial) atoms with many energy levels and thus make it more applicable for realistic cavity or circuit QED systems.
The superradiant phase transition (SRT) is prohibited in the standard isotropic Dicke model by the no-go theorem, which is induced by the A2{A}^{2}A2 term. Within the Dicke model framework, we demonstrate that SRTs can occur at both zero and finite temperatures by independently tuning the rotating-wave and counter-rotating atom-cavity couplings and/or introducing nonlinear Stark coupling terms, thereby overcoming the no-go theorem. The phase transitions in the anisotropic Dicke-Stark model belong to the same universality class as the original Dicke model. We believe that we have proposed a feasible scheme for observing SRTs in future solid-state experiments.
Equilibrium phase transitions between a normal and a photon condensate state (also known as superradiant phase transitions) are a highly debated research topic, where proposals for their occurrence and no-go theorems have chased each other for the past four decades. Previous no-go theorems have demonstrated that gauge invariance forbids second-order phase transitions to a photon condensate state when the cavity-photon mode is assumed to be spatially uniform. First-order phase transitions were previously considered as possible paths to bypass the no-go theorem. In particular, it has been theoretically predicted that a collection of three-level systems coupled to light can display a first-order phase transition to a photon condensate state. Here, we lay down a general no-go theorem, which forbids first-order as well as second-order superradiant phase transitions in a spatially-uniform cavity field. By using the tools of lattice gauge theory, we then derive a fully gauge-invariant model for three-level systems coupled to light. In agreement with the general theorem, our model does not display photon condensation.