Physics Colloquium

Universality in the Collective Behavior of Open Quantum Systems

When many particles share a common environment, dissipation and fluctuations become resources for emergent and complex behavior. In this talk, I will discuss how macroscopic quantum coherence arises due to correlated decay in open quantum systems. I will begin by presenting an overview of our research over the past few years, starting with our early work on Dicke superradiance in extended systems [1,2]—a decades-long open problem in many-body quantum optics. Our theoretical predictions have recently been experimentally validated through the observation of superradiance in atomic arrays. Building upon this foundation, I will introduce our recent discovery of universal scaling laws for correlated decay that apply broadly to a large class of Markovian quantum systems [3]. These scaling laws raise new fundamental questions for precision metrology, fault-tolerant quantum computing, quantum simulation, and our understanding of out-of-equilibrium phase transitions. Finally, I will present experimentally-relevant examples where many-body decay offers new ways to control and manipulate open quantum systems.

Join via Zoom:
https://caltech.zoom.us/j/84497014003
Meeting ID: 844 9701 4003

The colloquium is held in Feynman Lecture Hall, 201 E. Bridge.