The deterministic generation of photons by cavity quantum electrodynamics

Abstract

Cavity quantum electrodynamics allows the study of strong coupling between excited atoms and a single mode of a resonant cavity. As a consequence of the strong coupling the cavity field and the atom are entangled. The system thus provides important ingredients necessary for studies of quantum information processing. In addition the periodic exchange of a photon between atom and cavity can be studied. It thus represents the ideal system to investigate the Jaynes-Cummings model and to study a variety of phenomena related to the dynamics of the photon exchange such as collapse and revivals depending on the statistics of the photon field. Furthermore, it is an ideal system to study the quantum measurement process. The system leads to masers and lasers which sustain oscillations with less than one atom on average in the cavity and can, in addition, be used as a deterministic photon source. The setup allows to study in detail the conditions necessary to obtain nonclassical radiation, i.e. radiation with sub-Poissonian photon statistics and even photon number states; this is the case even when Poissonian pumping is used. This paper reviews the work on cavity quantum electrodynamics performed with the one-atom maser and with a single ion trap laser. We will start with the discussion of the one-atom maser. For a more detailed discussion of those experiments see also [1].

Stationary photon–atom entanglement and flow equation

“…Eqs. (16) and (22) as well as the realities of A l n ( ) and B l n ( ), C l n ( ) also turns out to be real. The exact solutions to these equations under the "initial" conditions in Eqs.…”

Riemannζfunction from wave-packet dynamics

“…The development of ultrashort laser pulses [12] together with the progress in ion trap technology [13] and cavity quantum electrodynamics [14] has opened a new avenue in the observation of the time evolution of wave packets. Indeed, the motion of a Rydberg electron [15], the center-of-mass motion of an ion stored in a Paul trap [16] or an atom in a standing wave [17] together with the periodic exchange of excitation between an atom and the photon field in a high-Q cavity [18] represent only a few examples of wave packets which are now almost routinely realized experimentally in many laboratories around the world.…”

Cavity-assisted spontaneous emission as a single-photon source: Pulse shape and efficiency of one-photon Fock-state preparation

“…instead of the field outside the cavity, we again arrive at an equation of the form of Eq. (68), with the same functions φ (1) i (z, t) = φ i (z, t), but, in general, different associated operatorsb (1) out i (t) =b out i (t). Only in the limit of vanishing absorption they equal each other.…”