Environment-Enhanced Single-Photon Absorption in a Nano-Ring of Dipole-Coupled Quantum Emitters

Abstract

Decoherence is mostly detrimental in quantum information and quantum optics applications. However, the interplay between environment-induced incoherent dynamics and unitary evolution can give rise to novel quantum many-body phenomena that can be harnessed as a useful resource. As is well known, in dense subwavelength atomic arrays only a single collective eigenmode in the single-excitation manifold couples strongly to free-space radiation, exhibiting superradiant spontaneous emission. Most of the remaining eigenstates form a manifold of weakly radiative modes, giving rise to long-lived subradiant excitations. Here we demonstrate that populating these subradiant modes via additional decoherence mechanisms, such as dephasing or coupling to phonons, can significantly enhance single-photon absorption in a nanoring of quantum emitters. Such nanoring geometry is particularly appealing due to its unique optical properties and its resemblance to natural light-harvesting complexes, which serve as efficient antennas in photosynthesis. Our findings may shed light on fundamental aspects of energy absorption in nature; despite the much greater complexity of biological systems, they may nonetheless operate according to similar underlying optical principles.