Quantum Fisher information as signature of superradiant quantum phase transition

Abstract: The single-mode Dicke model is well-known to undergo a quantum phase transition from the so-called normal phase to the supperradiant phase (hereinafter called the "superradiant quantum phase transition"). Normally, quantum phase transitions are closely related to the critical behavior of quantities such as entanglement, quantum fluctuations, and fidelity. In this paper, we study quantum Fisher information (QFI) of the field mode and that of the atoms in the ground state of the Dicke Hamiltonian. For finite and large enough number of atoms, our numerical results show that near the critical atom-field coupling, the QFIs of the atomic and the field subsystems can surpass the classical limits, due to the appearance of nonclassical squeezed states. As the coupling increases far beyond the critical point, the two subsystems are in highly mixed states, which degrade the QFI and hence the ultimate phase sensitivity. In the thermodynamic limit, we present analytical results of the QFIs and their relationships with the reduced variances. For each subsystem, we find that there is a singularity in the derivative of the QFI at the critical point, a clear signature of quantum criticality in the Dicke model.