Superradiance in molecular aggregates

Using a reduced equation of motion for the density matrix which accounts for spontaneous emission and superradiance, we analyze the fluorescence and transient grating (TG) decays from a dilute, optically thin distribution of molecular aggregates. We find that the fluorescence is a limited form of superradiance, where cooperativity is restricted to the number N of two level systems which make up the aggregate. The dependence of the linear aggregate decay rate on the amount of inhomogeneous broadening, which is randomly distributed according to Gaussian line shape of width (1/e)2σ, is calculated. It is shown that σ must be comparable in magnitude to the nearest neighbor dipole–dipole coupling V and not the superradiant decay rate, in order to quench the superradiance.