Selective collective emission from a dense atomic ensemble coupled to a nanophotonic resonator

Abstract: We experimentally and theoretically study collective emission of a dense atomic ensemble coupled to a whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) in a nanophotonic microring resonator. Due to many cold atoms localized in a small volume, these trapped atoms collectively couple not only to the WGM and but also to the non-guided modes in free space. Through tuning the atom-WGM coupling and by adjusting the number of trapped atoms, we demonstrate superradiant emission to the WGM. For photon emission via the non-guided modes, our study reveals signatures of subradiance and superradiance when the system is driven to the steady-state states and the timed-Dicke states, respectively. Our experimental platform thus presents the first atom-light interface with selective collective emission behavior into a guided mode and the environment, respectively. Our observation and methodology could shed light on future explorations of collective emission with densely packed quantum emitters coupled to nanophotonic light-matter interfaces.