N scaling of large-sample collective decay in inhomogeneous ensembles

Abstract

We experimentally study collective decay of an extended disordered ensemble of N atoms inside a hollow-core fiber. We observe up to 300-fold enhanced decay rates, strong optical bursts, and a coherent ringing. Due to inhomogeneities limiting the synchronization of atoms, the data does not show the typical scaling with N. We show that an effective number of collective emitters can be determined to recover the N scaling known to homogeneous ensembles over a large parameter range. This provides physical insight into the limits of collective decay and allows for its optimization in extended ensembles as used, e.g., in quantum optics, precision time-keeping, or waveguide QED.