DNA Nanotechnology for Superradiance

Abstract: Superradiance, first proposed by Dicke in 1954, is a highly efficient quantum light source that differs from conventional spontaneous emission. Unlike typical spontaneous emission, where intensity scales linearly with the number of electric dipoles, superradiance exhibits an intensity that scales quadratically with the number of electric dipoles. Similarly, the decay rate also increases proportionally to the dipole numbers. To realize superradiance, excited electric dipoles must be arranged in the same orientation with spacing much smaller than the wavelength of the excitation light. While previous studies have accidentally observed superradiance through the random aggregation of quantum dots and organic dyes, a deterministic approach for the materialization of superradiant has yet to be established. Herein, we (i) specifically outline the advantages of DNA nanotechnology in tackling this challenge, (ii) discuss the reasons why superradiance has not yet been realized even with the state-of-the art DNA nanotechnology, and (iii) propose potential solutions for overcoming the current limitations.