Spontaneous generation of the Dicke superradiation (SR) state has been found in the system of inversely polarised proton spins with “frozen” polarisation. SR is observed at the moment when the Larmor frequency crosses the resonance frequency of the passive oscillatory circuit. SR arises from incoherent maser generation of spins. The frequency of a SR generator can be retuned from several hundreds of kilohertz to hundreds of megahertz at very low temperatures. Dependence of incoherent and coherent radiation on the initial polarisation has been investigated. A radio frequency analogue of the optical SR laser is shown to be possible both for weak-amplifying and for strong-amplifying active media, depending on the factor of filling and polarisation of nuclei. SR-reverse of negative polarisation is observed in the latter case.
Spontaneous generation of the Dicke superradiation (SR) state has been found in the system of inversely polarised proton spins with “frozen” polarisation. SR is observed at the moment when the Larmor frequency crosses the resonance frequency of the passive oscillatory circuit. SR arises from incoherent maser generation of spins. The frequency of a SR generator can be retuned from several hundreds of kilohertz to hundreds of megahertz at very low temperatures. Dependence of incoherent and coherent radiation on the initial polarisation has been investigated. A radio frequency analogue of the optical SR laser is shown to be possible both for weak-amplifying and for strong-amplifying active media, depending on the factor of filling and polarisation of nuclei. SR-reverse of negative polarisation is observed in the latter case.
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.
The main part of this review is devoted to the comprehensive description of coherent radiation by nuclear spins. The theory of nuclear spin superradiance is developed and the experimental observations of this phenomenon are considered. The intriguing problem of how coherence develops from initially incoherent quantum fluctuations is analysed. All main types of coherent radiation by nuclear spins are discussed, which are: free nuclear induction, collective induction, maser generation, pure superradiance, triggered superradiance, pulsing superradiance, punctuated superradiance, and induced emission. The influence of electron-nuclear hyperfine interactions and the role of magnetic anisotropy are studied. Conditions for realizing spin superradiance by magnetic molecules are investigated. The possibility of nuclear matter lasing, accompanied by pion or dibaryon radiation, is briefly touched.
Recent advances in optical studies of condensed matter systems have led to the emergence of a variety of phenomena that have conventionally been studied in the realm of quantum optics. These studies have not only deepened our understanding of light–matter interactions but have also introduced aspects of many-body correlations inherent in optical processes in condensed matter systems. This paper is concerned with the phenomenon of superradiance (SR), a profound quantum optical process originally predicted by Dicke in 1954. The basic concept of SR applies to a general N body system, where constituent oscillating dipoles couple together through interaction with a common light field and accelerate the radiative decay of the whole system. Hence, the term SR ubiquitously appears in order to describe radiative coupling of an arbitrary number of oscillators in many situations in modern science of both classical and quantum description. In the most fascinating manifestation of SR, known as superfluorescence (SF), an incoherently prepared system of N inverted atoms spontaneously develops macroscopic coherence from vacuum fluctuations and produces a delayed pulse of coherent light whose peak intensity ∝N2. Such SF pulses have been observed in atomic and molecular gases, and their intriguing quantum nature has been unambiguously demonstrated. In this review, we focus on the rapidly developing field of research on SR phenomena in solids, where not only photon-mediated coupling (as in atoms) but also strong Coulomb interactions and ultrafast scattering processes exist. We describe SR and SF in molecular centers in solids, molecular aggregates and crystals, quantum dots, and quantum wells. In particular, we will summarize a series of studies we have recently performed on semiconductor quantum wells in the presence of a strong magnetic field. In one type of experiment, electron-hole pairs were incoherently prepared, but a macroscopic polarization spontaneously emerged and cooperatively decayed, emitting an intense SF burst. In another type of experiment, we observed the SR decay of coherent cyclotron resonance of ultrahigh-mobility 2D electron gases, leading to a decay rate that is proportional to the electron density. These results show that cooperative effects in solid-state systems are not merely small corrections that require exotic conditions to be observed; rather, they can dominate the nonequilibrium dynamics and light emission processes of the entire system of interacting electrons.
An orderly account is given of the processes of coherent propagation, amplification, and generation of pulses in polyatomic resonant media. The characteristic features of the propagation of solitons in resonant media of finite length are considered. Comparisons are made of the exponential and lethargic amplification of pulses in resonant media. It is shown that an allowance for the reflection of the field from the boundaries of an active medium gives rise to a qualitatively different dependence of the parameters of the pulses on the reflection coefficients under superradiance and lasing conditions, which makes it possible to introduce a criterion to distinguish lasing from superradiance. An analysis is made of the characteristics of collective superradiance, which is a new case of coherent generation of pulses. Experimental and theoretical investigations of rf superradiance emitted by systems of nuclear spins are reviewed.
Superradiance (SR), or cooperative spontaneous emission, has been predicted by R. Dicke before the invention of the laser. During the last few years one can see a renaissance of both experimental and theoretical studies of the superradiant phase transition in a variety of media, ranging from quantum dots and Bose condensates through to black holes. Until recently, despite of many years of research, SR has been considered as a phenomenon of pure scientific interest without obvious potential applications. However, recent investigations of the femtosecond SR emission generation from semiconductors have opened up some practical opportunities for the exploitation of this quantum optics phenomenon. Here we present a brief review of some features, advantages and potential applications of the SR generation from semiconductor laser structures
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.