Experimental Studies of Fundamental Problems in Quantum Optics
Abstract
An extensive study of the dynamical properties of laser driven atoms in optical cavities has been completed. The presence of a cavity is found to produce behavior dramatically different from that exhibited by driven atoms in free space. In the case of mode-degenerate optical cavities, it is found that a laser field may drive two-level atoms into steady-state inversion. This has been considered impossible. Such cavities are also found to perturb fundamental strong-field atomic spectra. These perturbations indicate novel and previously unseen atomic dynamics. In as much as any small structure may produce effects similar to those produced by cavity, the results of the present experiments demonstrate that small optical devices may be operable in heretofore totally unanticipated regimes. We have also found that driven atoms in a cavity exhibit two-photon gain and may form the basis of the first cw two-photon laser. Already the first measurements of cw two-photon gain have been completed. We have theoretically analyzed to behavior of both one and two-photon driven atom lasers, and find that both may exhibit bright squeezing. In other words, these lasers have a squeezed-state output field rather than a coherent-state output.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA235454
Entities
People
- A. Lezama
- Daniel J Gauthier
- G. S. Agarwal
- Maciej Lewenstein
- Manoj Kanskar
- Qilin Wu
- S. Morin
- Thomas W. Mossberg
- Yifu Zhu
Organizations
- University of Oregon