Waveguide-QED-based measurement of a reservoir spectral density

The spectral density (SD) function has a central role in the study of open quantum systems (OQSs). We discover a method allowing for a "static" measurement of the SD-i.e., it requires neither the OQS to be initially excited nor its time evolution tracked in time-which is not limited to the weak-coupling regime. This is achieved through one-dimensional photon scattering for a zero-temperature reservoir coupled to a two-level OQS via the rotating wave approximation. We find that the SD profile is a universal simple function of the photon's reflectance and transmittance. As such, it can be straightforwardly inferred from the photon's reflection and transmission spectra.