Superradiant lasing in one-dimensional electromagnetic reservoirs

Collective decay of atoms can be harnessed to realize novel light sources. A notable example is the superradiant laser, where incoherently pumped atoms inside a single-mode cavity are driven to a steady state from which they emit coherent light with an ultranarrow spectrum- a feature that holds promise for enhancing the precision of atomic clocks. Whether superradiant lasing emerges in electromagnetic environments with multiple competing modes and light propagation effects, as well as how these factors influence the statistics of the emitted light, remain open questions. In this talk I present our results on superradiant lasing in one-dimensional baths, such as ring cavities and waveguides. In these systems, atoms synchronize to collectively emit to either the left or the right propagating mode. The competition of these two emerging orders gives rise to a bimodal Wigner distribution. I further discuss how this competition impacts the coherence and spectral properties of the emitted light. Our findings indicate that cold atoms coupled to ring cavities or single-mode nanofibers are promising candidates for realizing superradiant lasers, offering exciting opportunities for advancing precision measurement technologies.