Dynamics of Nonequilibrium Dicke Models

TL;DR

This paper studies the complex collective dynamics of the nonequilibrium Dicke model, revealing diverse long-term behaviors and timescales relevant for cold atom experiments in optical cavities.

Contribution

It provides a detailed semiclassical phase diagram of the nonequilibrium Dicke model, identifying various stable and oscillatory regimes and analyzing experimental timescales.

Findings

Multiple stable fixed points and oscillatory regimes identified

Long timescales (~200ms) needed to reach asymptotic states

Implications for experimental observation of self-organization

Abstract

Motivated by experiments observing self-organization of cold atoms in optical cavities we investigate the collective dynamics of the associated nonequilibrium Dicke model. The model displays a rich semiclassical phase diagram of long time attractors including distinct superradiant fixed points, bistable and multistable coexistence phases and regimes of persistent oscillations. We explore the intrinsic timescales for reaching these asymptotic states and discuss the implications for finite duration experiments. On the basis of a semiclassical analysis of the effective Dicke model we find that sweep measurements over 200ms may be required in order to access the asymptotic regime. We briefly comment on the corrections that may arise due to quantum fluctuations and states outside of the effective two-level Dicke model description.