Dicke superradiance from a plasmonic nanocomposite slab

The theory of Dicke superradiance from an optically thin nanocomposite slab represented by metal nanoparticles dispersed in a dielectric matrix is developed from first principles. It is shown that the superradiance signal evolution is determined by the eigenvalues of the field susceptibility tensor for the slab. The excitation of the system by a pumping pulse in different polarizations as well as in the attenuated total reflection configuration is considered. It is demonstrated that the relaxation rates are enhanced when surface plasmon polaritons are excited at the interface between the substrate and superstrate. These findings can pave a way to the extension of optical techniques based on Dicke superradiance to the femtosecond time domain. In particular, they can be used to engineer femtosecond pulses of coherent radiation using a rather simple approach.