Superradiance: the principles of generation and implementation in lasers**The review presents in the extended form the report by the authors at the scientific session of the Physical Sciences Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, dedicated to the centenary of Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg’s birth, which was held on 5 October 2016 (see Usp. Fiz. Nauk 187 443 (2017) [Phys. Usp. 60 412

Abstract

The electrodynamics of active continuous media is applied to theoretically examine collective spontaneous emission regimes of dipole oscillator ensembles. Recent experiments in which the superfluorescence phenomenon has been observed are reviewed. The focus is on propagation and interaction effects experienced by the inhomogeneous waves of active center polarization and electromagnetic fields. The superradiant laser dynamics is examined and prospects for the realization of superradiant lasers using low-Q cavities are discussed.