A universal speed limit for collective decay in quantum systems

Quantum systems composed of many particles can decay much faster than the sum of their individual decay rates. Now, a universal speed limit of many-body decay has been revealed, providing bounds on applications that rely on collective emission and a potential constraint on the scalability of quantum technologies. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Buy this articlePurchase on SpringerLinkInstant access to the full article PDF.USD 39.95Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Fig. 1: Universal speed limit for collective decay. Subjects Atomic and molecular interactions with photons Quantum information Quantum mechanics ReferencesDicke, R. H. Coherence in Spontaneous Radiation Processes. Phys. Rev. 93, 99–110 (1954). This paper introduced the theory of superradiance.Article ADS Google Scholar Gross, M. & Haroche, S. Superradiance: an essay on the theory of collective spontaneous emission. Phys. Rep. 93, 301–396 (1982). A comprehensive review article on the theoretical description of superradiance.Article ADS Google Scholar Mok, W.-K., Asenjo-Garcia, A., Sum, T. C. & Kwek, L.-C. Dicke superradiance requires interactions beyond nearest neighbors. Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 213605 (2023). This paper shows that superradiance cannot be physically observed in systems with only nearest-neighbour dissipative interactions.Article ADS Google Scholar Bravyi, S., Gosset, D., König, R. & Temme, K. Approximation algorithms for quantum many-body problems. J. Math. Phys. 60, 032203 (2019). This paper develops classical approximation algorithms for quantum many-body Hamiltonians.Article ADS Google Scholar Masson, S. J. & Asenjo-Garcia, A. Universality of Dicke superradiance in arrays of quantum emitters. Nat. Commun. 13, 2285 (2022). This paper shows that superradiance is a universal phenomenon in ordered atomic arrays, beyond the idealized Dicke limit.Article ADS Google Scholar Download referencesAdditional informationPublisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.This is a summary of: Mok, W.-K. et al. Universal scaling laws for correlated decay of many-body quantum systems. Nat. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03448-4 (2026).Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this article A universal speed limit for collective decay in quantum systems. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03445-7Download citationPublished: 25 September 2026Version of record: 25 September 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03445-7Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Universal scaling laws for correlated decay of many-body quantum systems Wai-Keong MokAvishi PoddarAna Asenjo-Garcia Nature Physics Article Open Access 25 Sept 2026