Cooperative Emission of a Coherent Superflash of Light

Abstract

We investigate the transient coherent transmission of light through an optically thick cold strontium gas. We observe a coherent superflash just after an abrupt probe extinction, with peak intensity more than three times the incident one. We show that this coherent superflash is a direct signature of the cooperative forward emission of the atoms. By engineering fast transient phenomena on the incident field, we give a clear and simple picture of the physical mechanisms at play.