ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the main features of super-radiance using some simplified models. It presents a review of experimental work on super-radiance. The book also presents a generalization of the Wigner–Weisskopf approach to the N-atom system using a diagram method of non-stationary perturbation theory. It discusses several correlation functions for the field and the polarization, which characterize the coherence properties of super-radiation. The book uses the semiclassical approach to investigate the influence of de-phasing processes on radiation efficiency, or in other words, the influence of homogeneous and inhomogeneous broadening of the spectral line on the dynamics and spectrum of super-radiance. It considers the boundary value problem for the transmission and reflection of short pulses, taking into account the local field correction. Two effects are of special interest: the population-dependent frequency shift and the possibility of mirror-less bistability of ultra-short electromagnetic pulses.
