ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates both diffraction and fluctuation effects on super-radiance within the framework of two models. Firstly, the two-dimensional theory of super-radiance of an extended system is developed. Secondly, the chapter considers the super-radiance of a 'sheet of paper' volume. However, quantum fluctuations of the initial polarization give rise to transverse inhomogeneity of atomic and field characteristics, which manifests itself in a change in the shape of the pulse and in the radiation polar diagram. The ringing of the envelope, which is typical of the one-dimensional model, becomes smoother. The super-radiance polar diagram has a ray structure, of which the angular size of individual components (rays) is of the order of the diffraction angle. The angular size of the ray is close to the diffraction angle, and its form changes relatively little from one realization of the initial polarization distribution to another.