  We study the statistics of the fluorescence decay rates for single quantum
emitters embedded in a scattering medium undergoing a phase transition. Under
certain circumstances, the structural properties of the scattering medium
explore a regime in which the system dynamically switches between two different
phases. While in that regime the light scattering properties of both phases are
hardly distinguishable, we demonstrate that the lifetime statistics of single
emitters with low diffusivity is clearly dependent on the dynamical state in
which the medium evolves. Hence, lifetime statistics provides clear signatures
of phase switching in systems where light scattering does not.

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics