Quantum motion of laser-driven atoms in a cavity field

A. S. Parkins, Harry J. Kimble

We describe schemes for transferring quantum states between light fields and the motion of a trapped atom. Coupling between the motion and the light is achieved via Raman transitions driven by a laser field and the quantized field of a high-finesse microscopic cavity mode. By cascading two such systems and tailoring laser field pulses, we show that it is possible to transfer an arbitrary motional state of one atom to a second atom at a spatially distant site.

Sergey V. Prants

Marc Bienert, Giovanna Morigi

We theoretically analyze the cooling dynamics of an atom which is tightly trapped inside a high-finesse optical resonator. Cooling is achieved by suitably tailored scattering processes, in which the atomic dipole transition either scatters a cavity photon into the electromagnetic field external to the resonator, or performs a stimulated emission into the cavity mode, which then dissipates via the cavity mirrors. We identify the parameter regimes in which the atom center-of-mass motion can be cooled into the ground state of the external trap. We predict that, in particular, for high cooperativities, interference effects mediated by the atomic transition may lead to higher efficiencies. The dynamics is compared with the cooling dynamics of a trapped atom inside a resonator studied by Zippilli and Morigi [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 143001 (2005)] where the atom, instead of the cavity, is driven by a laser field.

C. H. Raymond Ooi, Eyob Alebachew Sete, W.-M. Liu

We study the classically driven two-level system with its center-of-mass motion vibrating in a harmonic trap and coupled to the photons in a two-mode cavity. The first mode is resonant to the driving field and an electronic transition. The second mode is off-resonant, forming a vibrational-assisted Raman transition. Using an exact numerical method, we investigate the quantum dynamics of the light emitted by the atom and the cavity modes. We analyze and compare the corresponding atomic and intracavity photon spectra for a range of the driving laser field and the cavity coupling strengths. The results provide better understanding of the effects of the laser field and atom-cavity coupling strengths on quantum interference effects and photon blockade, particularly the Mollow's triplet and the Autler-Townes splitting in the good and bad cavity limits.

Hartmut Wallis