Exactness of mean-field equations for open Dicke models with an application to pattern retrieval dynamics

Abstract

Open quantum Dicke models are paradigmatic systems for the investigation of light-matter interaction in out-of-equilibrium quantum settings. Albeit being structurally simple, these models can show intriguing physics. However, obtaining exact results on their dynamical behavior is challenging, since it requires the solution of a many-body quantum system, with several interacting continuous and discrete degrees of freedom. Here, we make a step forward in this direction by proving the validity of the mean-field semi-classical equations for open multimode Dicke models, which, to the best of our knowledge, so far has not been rigorously established. We exploit this result to show that open quantum multimode Dicke models can behave as associative memories, displaying a nonequilibrium phase transition towards a pattern-recognition phase.