A One-Dimensional Electron System Coupled to Light

Light-matter coupling is essential to much of modern quantum technology. While a great deal of theoretical work has investigated small-scale systems in this context, work on quantum coherent effects in many-body systems has been select. In this talk, I will discuss recent theoretical work on a one-dimensional quantum wire weakly coupled to a lossy photonic cavity. We study the evolution of the many-body wave function as photons are emitted. The emission of radiation generates quantum entanglement and as a result the system exhibits superradiance, like that exhibited by the celebrated Dicke model. In general, the relaxation of the electronic system and the emission of radiation arise from a competition between superradiance and Pauli blocking. I will also briefly discuss the role that band curvature and interactions play in these processes.