Squeezing multilevel atoms in dark states via cavity superradiance

Abstract: We describe a method to create and store scalable and long-lived entangled spin-squeezed states within a manifold of many-body cavity dark states using collective emission of light from multilevel atoms inside an optical cavity. We show that the system can be tuned to generate squeezing in a dark state where it will be immune to superradiance. We also show more generically that squeezing can be generated using a combination of superradiance and coherent driving in a bright state, and subsequently be transferred via single-particle rotations to a dark state where squeezing can be stored. Our findings, readily testable in current optical cavity experiments with alkaline-earth-like atoms, can open a path for dissipative generation and storage of metrologically useful states in optical transitions.