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Chinese Physics Letters

Collective Dynamics of Nuclei from Quadrupole Splitting in an X-ray Cavity

xubo liao, Yue Wang, Kangjun Xia, Nan Xue, Xiangjin Kong, Y. G.

Published Jul 16, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Mössbauer nuclei with quadrupole-split levels provide a versatile platform for exploring coherent x-ray light-matter interactions. We theoretically study ensembles of 57 Fe nuclei embedded in thin-film x-ray cavities, explicitly accounting for different orientations of the electric field gradient. By mapping isotropic electric field gradient distributions to an effective equal-weight two-transition model, we derive analytical expressions for the time-dependent reflectivity and reveal the emergence of cavity-mediated quantum beats. The oscillation frequency and temporal profile of these beats can be tuned via the cavity-induced coherent coupling, offering a flexible approach to control collective nuclear dynamics and manipulate nuclear coherence in the x-ray regime.

DOI
10.1088/0256-307x/43/8/080101

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Abstract Mössbauer nuclei with quadrupole-split levels provide a versatile platform for exploring coherent x-ray light-matter interactions. We theoretically study ensembles of 57 Fe nuclei embedded in thin-film x-ray cavities, explicitly accounting for different orientations of the electric field gradient. By mapping isotropic electric field gradient distributions to an effective equal-weight two-transition model, we derive analytical expressions for the time-dependent reflectivity and reveal the emergence of cavity-mediated quantum beats. The oscillation frequency and temporal profile of these beats can be tuned via the cavity-induced coherent coupling, offering a flexible approach to control collective nuclear dynamics and manipulate nuclear coherence in the x-ray regime.
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The setting of M\"ossbauer nuclei embedded in thin-film cavities has facilitated an aspiring platform for x-ray quantum optics as shown in several recent experiments. Here, we generalize the theoretical model of this platform that we developed earlier [Phys. Rev. A 88, 043828 (2013)]. The theory description is extended to cover multiple nuclear ensembles and multiple modes in the cavity. While the extensions separately do not lead to qualitatively new features, their combination gives rise to cooperative effects between the different nuclear ensembles and distinct spectral signatures in the observables. A related experiment by R\"ohlsberger et al. [Nature (London) 482, 199 (2012)] is successfully modeled, the scalings derived with semiclassical methods are reproduced, and a microscopic understanding of the setting is obtained with our quantum mechanical description.
This thesis is dedicated to the study of collective effects of nuclei in single xray photon superradiance. To this end we investigate aspects of superradiance in both nuclear forward scattering and in thin-film cavities with an embedded 57Fe nuclear layer. A general theoretical framework is developed to investigate a single-photon cooperative emission from a cloud of resonant systems, atoms or nuclei, in the presence of magnetic hyperfine splitting. In the limit of a thick sample, we present our results for two means to coherently control the collective single x-ray photon emission in nuclear forward scattering. In the limit of a thin sample in a thin-film cavity with embedded resonant nuclei, we find out that unlike the magnetic hyperfine splitting of a single atom or nucleus, interesting collective effects may occur which modify the hyperfine level structure. In addition, for a certain parameter regime a spectrum reminiscent of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) can be achieved. Based on this EIT-like effect, a theoretical control mechanism for stopping x-ray pulses in the thin-film x-ray cavity is put forward. Finally, we show theoretically that for the case of two nuclear ensembles in the thin-film cavity, pseudo-Rabi splitting due to the strong coupling between the two layers should occur. The latter findings are confirmed by preliminary experimental data.
Waveguides offer a means to controllably couple atomic ensembles to the electromagnetic field therein. Here, we demonstrate x-ray propagation in planar thin-film waveguides coupled to Mössbauer nuclei under collective resonant excitation by short pulses of synchrotron radiation. We record x-ray photons that have been emitted into resonant modes of the waveguide. Depending on the geometry and mode of excitation, two fundamentally different signatures of the collective emission are observed, for which we present a unifying theoretical model. Our results form a new platform for waveguide quantum electrodynamics in the hard x-ray regime with the potential to provide a coherent narrow band source of x-rays on the nanometer scale.
A control mechanism for stopping x-ray pulses in resonant nuclear media is investigated theoretically. We show that narrow-band x-ray pulses can be mapped and stored as nuclear coherence in a thin-film planar x-ray cavity with an embedded ^{57}Fe nuclear layer. The pulse is nearly resonant to the 14.4 keV Mössbauer transition in the ^{57}Fe nuclei. The role of the control field is played here by a hyperfine magnetic field which induces interference effects reminiscent of electromagnetically induced transparency. We show that, by switching off the control magnetic field, a narrow-band x-ray pulse can be completely stored in the cavity for approximately 100 ns. Additional manipulation of the external magnetic field can lead to both group velocity and phase control of the pulse in the x-ray cavity sample.