Disordered driven coupled cavity arrays : Non-equilibrium stochastic mean-field theory

Abstract

We study the interplay of disorder with pumping and decay in coupled qubit-cavity arrays, the Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard model. We find that relatively weak disorder can wash out the bistability present in the clean pumped system and that moreover the combination of disorder in on-site energies and decay can lead to effective phase disorder. To explore these questions, we present a nonequilibrium generalization of stochastic mean-field theory, providing a simple tool to address such questions. This technique is developed for rather general forms of light-matter coupling, driving, dissipation, and on-site disorder, making it applicable to a wide range of systems.