  The possibility of observing phenomena peculiar to long-range interactions,
and more specifically in the so-called Quasi-Stationary State (QSS) regime is
investigated within the framework of two devices, namely the Free-Electron
Laser (FEL) and the Collective Atomic Recoil Laser (CARL). The QSS dynamics has
been mostly studied using the Hamiltonian Mean-Field (HMF) toy model,
demonstrating in particular the presence of first versus second order phase
transitions from magnetized to unmagnetized regimes in the case of HMF. Here,
we give evidence of the strong connections between the HMF model and the
dynamics of the two mentioned devices, and we discuss the perspectives to
observe some specific QSS features experimentally. In particular, a dynamical
analog of the phase transition is present in the FEL and in the CARL in its
conservative regime. Regarding the dissipative CARL, a formal link is
established with the HMF model. For both FEL and CARL, calculations are
performed with reference to existing experimental devices, namely the
FERMI@Elettra FEL under construction at Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy) and the
CARL system at LENS in Florence (Italy).
