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  • Open Access

Nanoscale Mirrorless Superradiant Lasing

Anna Bychek1,*, Raphael Holzinger2, and Helmut Ritsch1

  • *Contact author: anna.bychek@uibk.ac.at
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 143601 – Published 1 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rbs2-2pd5

Abstract

We predict collective free-space lasing in a dense nanoscopic emitter arrangement where dipole-dipole coupled atomic emitters synchronize their emission and exhibit lasing behavior without the need for an optical resonator. At the example of a subwavelength-spaced linear emitter chain with varying fractions of pumped and unpumped emitters, we present a comprehensive study of this mirrorless lasing phenomenon. The total radiated power transitions from subradiant suppression under weak pumping to superradiant enhancement at stronger pumping, while exhibiting directional emission confined to a narrow spatial angle. At the same time multiple independent spectral emission lines below the lasing threshold merge toward a single narrow spectral line at high pump power. The most substantial enhancement and line narrowing occur when a fraction of unpumped atoms is present. We show that this leads to superradiant lasing near the bare atomic frequency, making the system a promising candidate for a minimalist active optical frequency reference.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 143601– Published 1 October, 2025
  • Received 27 May 2025
  • Accepted 29 August 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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