In this paper, the relationship between field and atomic squeezing in the thermal Jaynes-Cummings model with an initially coherent atom is examined. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
We have studied the influence of thermal photons on the symmetry between the field and atomic squeezing (SFAS) exposed in the resonant vacuum-field Jaynes-Cummings model with an initially coherent atom. We have shown that when the number of thermal photons ( N av ) is less than 0.01, the SFAS is not sensitive to the presence of thermal photons; when N av ⩾ 0.01, the broken SFAS can be seen; when N av ⩾ 0.1, the squeezed atom cannot radiate a squeezed field any longer. Also, we have discussed the possibility of detection of the boken symmetry in superconducting maser cavity.