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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences

Entanglement and superposition states in the micromaser

HERBERT WALTHER

Published Dec 15, 1997• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper recent experiments with the one–atom maser or micromaser are reviewed. They deal with the dynamical behavior of the field at parameter values where the field undergoes phase transitions. Furthermore, atomic interferences are observed in the micromaser when the inversion of the atoms leaving the cavity is measured while the cavity frequency is scanned across the atomic resonance. The interferences are due to the non–adiabatic mixing of dressed states at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity. The interference structures are triangular shaped and approximately equidistant. They are associated with the dynamics of the atom–field interaction, show quantum jumps and demonstrate bistability of the micromaser field.

DOI
10.1098/rsta.1997.0131

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In this paper recent experiments with the one–atom maser or micromaser are reviewed. They deal with the dynamical behavior of the field at parameter values where the field undergoes phase transitions. Furthermore, atomic interferences are observed in the micromaser when the inversion of the atoms leaving the cavity is measured while the cavity frequency is scanned across the atomic resonance. The interferences are due to the non–adiabatic mixing of dressed states at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity. The interference structures are triangular shaped and approximately equidistant. They are associated with the dynamics of the atom–field interaction, show quantum jumps and demonstrate bistability of the micromaser field.
Atomic interferences are observed in the micromaser when the inversion of the atoms leaving the cavity is measured while the cavity frequency is scanned across the atomic resonance. The interferences are due to the nonadiabatic mixing of dressed states at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity. The interference structures are triangular shaped and approximately equidistant. They are associated with the dynamics of the atom-field interaction, show quantum jumps, and demonstrate bistability of the micromaser field.
In this paper we report on atomic interferometry in the micromaser. The atomic inversion is recorded while scanning the cavity frequency across the atomic resonance. For high pump rates, interference patterns are observed on the low-frequency wing of the maser line. The interferences are due to the non-adiabatic mixing of dressed states of the atoms at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity, leading to a Ramsey-type two-field interaction. Furthermore, statistical properties of the maser field are investigated via a measurement of the statistics of the pump atoms that leave the maser cavity. Theoretical expressions for the time dependence of the Fano–Mandel parameter Q A(t) are compared with the experimental data. We demonstrate, that metastability of the maser field and atomic interference strongly influence the approach to a steady-state value of Q A(t).
In this paper we report on atomic interferometry in the micromaser. The experimentally observed interferences are due to the non-adiabatic mixing of dressed states of the atoms at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity, leading to Ramsey-type two-field interaction. The observations are explained on the basis of the micromaser theory. Statistical properties of the maser field are investigated via a measurement of the statistics of the pump atoms that leave the maser cavity. Theoretical expressions for the time dependence of the Fano-Mandel-parameter QA(t) are compared with the experimental data. We demonstrate, that metastability of the maser field and atomic interference strongly influence the approach to a steady state value of QA(t). Furthermore, a theoretical investigation of a maser pumped with ultra-cold atoms is discussed. The interplay between reflection and transmission events of the atoms leads to a photon emission probability that strongly depends on the quantized center-of-mass motion (z-motion) of the atoms. We demonstrate that this mazer operation can be completely different from the ordinary maser pumped by a beam of thermal atoms.
Trapping states in the one-atom maser or micromaser are predicted by maser theory and are a direct consequence of the quantization of the electromagnetic field. They have been found in our experiment when the inversion of atoms leaving the cavity is observed while the interaction time is scanned. They correspond to quantum states of the atom-cavity system and under certain conditions represent Fock states. The trapping states occur when the atom-field dynamics complete a full evolution (or multiples thereof). Owing to feedback through the maser dynamics, a stabilization of the photon number in the steady state field of the maser cavity is achieved.
The field of the one-atom maser, or micromaser, shows strong variations in certain parameter regions usually identified as phase transitions. In this paper the time development of the field in the vicinity of those regions is investigated. Depending on the parameters, spontaneous jumps or slow transitions between two metastable field values can be observed. Hystersis behavior also occurs. The results are explained by means of a quantum Monte Carlo simulation of the maser field as well as a Fokker-Planck description used earlier in micromaser theory.