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Physical Review A

Quantum fluctuations and transverse effects in superfluorescence

E. A. Watson, H. M. Gibbs, F. P. Mattar, M. Cormier, Yves Claude, S. L. McCall, Michael S. Feld

Published Mar 1, 1983• 50 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Superfluorescence emission profiles are computed using one-way coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations. Transverse effects are included in the full three-spatial-dimension case as well as in the cylindrical-symmetry case. Initiating quantum fluctuations are approximated by a random polarization source with a completely random phase and root-mean-square tipping angle of $\frac{2}{\sqrt{N}}$, where $N$ is the number of atoms in each volume element. These fluctuations reduce the tail of the output obtained with transverse effects alone. In fact, the fluctuations in output pulse shapes encompass the Cs data of Gibbs, Vrehen, and Hikspoors. The standard deviation for the delay time is found to be (12.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4)% for Fresnel number of 0.8 compared with the value (10\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2)% recently measured by Vrehen and der Weduwe, also for Cs. Inhomogeneous-broadening effects are also included in some simulations.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.27.1427

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Physical Review A•Oct 1, 1983•13 citations
Superfluorescence emission profiles are computed using one-way coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations. Transverse effects are included in the full three-spatial-dimension case as well as in the cylindrical-symmetry case. Initiating quantum fluctuations are approximated by a random polarization source with a completely random phase and root-mean-square tipping angle of 2N\frac{2}{\sqrt{N}}N​2​, where NNN is the number of atoms in each volume element. These fluctuations reduce the tail of the output obtained with transverse effects alone. In fact, the fluctuations in output pulse shapes encompass the Cs data of Gibbs, Vrehen, and Hikspoors. The standard deviation for the delay time is found to be (12.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4)% for Fresnel number of 0.8 compared with the value (10\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2)% recently measured by Vrehen and der Weduwe, also for Cs. Inhomogeneous-broadening effects are also included in some simulations.
For a pencil-shaped extended medium with Fresnel number equal to 1, we have quantum mechanically derived a description of the initiation of superfluorescence in terms of Maxwell-Bloch equations with a fluctuating source due to the zero-point fluctuations of the vacuum field. By the introduction of classical behavior, these equations are extended to include nonlinear behavior due to decreasing atomic inversion. The principal assumption in the derivation is that the main features of superfluorescence are governed by the interaction of atoms with field modes inside two small solid angles around the pencil axis. The delay ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{D}$, defined as the time at which the mean-squared tipping angle of the collective Bloch vector attains the value 1, turns out to be given by ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{D}=(\frac{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{R}}{4}){[\mathrm{ln}{(2\ensuremath{\pi}N)}^{\frac{1}{2}}]}^{2}$, where ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{R}$ is the radiation time for collective decay and NNN is the number of atoms. The corresponding effective initial tipping angle roughly equals 2(N)12\frac{2}{{(N)}^{\frac{1}{2}}}(N)21​2​. A Fokker-Planck equation is derived to describe the statistics of the initial development of the tipping angle. The variance $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{D}$ of the delay of the superfluorescence pulse satisfies approximately $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{D}=\frac{2.3}{\mathrm{ln}N}$. A brief comparison with previous treatments of superfluorescence is given.
Abstract : The interaction of a light beam with matter has varying degrees of dependence on the transverse profile of the beam. Two topics are considered here. The first topic, superfluorescence, involves the coherent emission generated by an initially inverted two-level medium. Calculations in the past have included either quantum fluctuations in the initial conditions or transverse effects, but never both. The calculations presented here include both transverse effects and quantum fluctuations. The results of the theoretical calculations are in good agreement with previous experimental results, both quantitatively in terms of time delay averages and distributions and also qualitatively in terms of pulse shapes. The second topic considered, optical bistability, involves devices which exhibit two stable output light intensities (a high and a low branch) over a limited range of input light intensities. Simulations performed here show the effect of diffraction, measured in terms of the Fresnel number, on how much of the device becomes bistable. It was found that for small Fresnel number cases, the entire device become bistable. For high Fresnel number cases, only part of the device becomes bistable while the rest of the device remains low transmitting. The results of an experiment performed are consistent with the simulations. (Author)
Using proven computational methods developed to efficiently treat transverse and longitudinal dynamic reshaping associated with single-stream propagation effects in cooperative light-matter interactions, a realistic superfluorescence (SF) theory was constructed in close collaboration with experimentalists. A semi-classical model based on the Maxwell-Bloch equa-tions (which rigorously encompasses diffraction, transverse density variations and inhomoge-neous broadening) is used. Furthermore, the medium initiation is stimulated by a coherent pulse of an area θ0 which varies radially, propagates along the rod axis and tips the indi-vidual Bloch vectors over an angle θ0 from its upright position. This effective initiation is treated in using either (a) an homogeneous average tipping angle or (b) instantaneous longitudinal and transverse fluctuations. The Cs datas are correctly simulated for the first time.* Important remark At this time, I wish to express my appreciation and give credit to Gibbs, McCall and Feld for their many contributions in the form of numerous relevant discussions, preparatory ana-lytical work and help in selecting details of realistic models based on their close contact with laboratory results. In addition, Dr Gibbs' participation in carrying the calculations accelerated the rate of progress in my research. Let me take this occasion to thank Dr. Gibbs, Dr. McCall and Dr. Feld for their energetic and enthousiastic collaboration.
Recent work is reviewed where dynamic diffraction coupling is examined in Superfluorescence SF with use of a one-way semiclassical model in which diffraction and transverse density variations are rigorously included. The Cs data are correctly simulated for the first time in conjunction with both an average tipping angle and quantum fluctuation (either longitudinal or transverse) at the initiating stage. This comprehensive review also encompasses rigorously the effects of pump dynamics on the SF evolution. The terminology is unified. Specification of certain pump beam initial conditions at a given frequency results in specific SF characteristics at another frequency as recently observed in CH3F and Ba. Pump dynamics are studied in both the average value of the tipping angle and quantum fluctuation at the initiation stage.
We show that certain properties of superfluorescent pulses radiated spontaneously by a system of many initially excited two-level atoms can be described by means of the classical Maxwell-Bloch equations. The quantum fluctuations which initiate the pulse are random initial polarizations. The radiated fields which arise from different initial polarization distributions vary significantly from pulse to pulse. Such variations represent quantum uncertainties amplified to the macroscopic level. Probability distributions are calculated for various parameters characterizing the shape of the output pulse as well as the mean and the variance of the radiated intensity.