Coherently amplifying photon production from vacuum with a dense cloud of accelerating photodetectors

Abstract

We consider N>>1 accelerating (i.e., oscillating) photodetectors modeled as two level systems (TLSs) that are contained within a microwave cavity and show that the resulting photon production from vacuum can be collectively enhanced such as to be measurable. The cavity-accelerating TLSs system maps onto a parametrically driven Dicke-type model and when the detector number N exceeds a certain critical value, the vacuum photon production undergoes a phase transition from a normal phase to an enhanced superradiant-like, inverted lasing phase. Such a model may be realized as a mechanical membrane with a dense concentration of optically active defects undergoing GHz flexural motion and contained within a 3D, superconducting microwave cavity. We show that recent related experimental devices are close to demonstrating this inverted, vacuum photon lasing phase.