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Physical Review A

Near–dipole-dipole effects in dense media: Generalized Maxwell-Bloch equations

Charles M. Bowden, Jonathan P. Dowling

Published Feb 1, 1993• 187 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A self-consistent generalization of the Maxwell-Bloch formulation is presented here for a nonlinear system of saturable two-level atoms interacting with the electromagnetic field, under the condition that the atomic density is such that there are, on the average, many atoms within a cubic resonance wavelength such that near--dipole-dipole interactions, which lead to local-field corrections, cannot be neglected.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.47.1247

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A self-consistent generalization of the Maxwell-Bloch formulation is presented here for a nonlinear system of saturable two-level atoms interacting with the electromagnetic field, under the condition that the atomic density is such that there are, on the average, many atoms within a cubic resonance wavelength such that near--dipole-dipole interactions, which lead to local-field corrections, cannot be neglected.
In condensed matter of densities such that there are many atoms within a cubic atomic resonance wavelength, induced near dipole-dipole interactions (NDD) effects can cause dynamic frequency chirp in near resonant electromagnetic field-matter interactions.1 Using semiclassical theory for two-level atomic systems and a Green's function solution to the wave equation, we derive a self-consistent set of renormalized Bloch–Maxwell equations, useful for discussion of nonlinear optical processes in condensed matter systems, and discuss some of their implications. The strength of the induced near dipole-dipole coupling is found to be ε = (4π/3) u2n, and it causes inversion-dependent frequency chirp in the system. Here, u is the matrix element of the transition dipole moment and n is the density of atoms.
The interatomic dipole–dipole interaction is commonly thought to be the main physical reason for spectroscopic effects, which are nonlinear in atomic density. However, we have found that the free motion of atoms can lead to other effects that are nonlinear in atomic density n , using a previously unknown self-consistent solution of the Maxwell–Bloch equations in the mean-field approximation for a gas of two-level atoms with an optical transition at unperturbed frequency ω 0 . These effects distort the Doppler lineshape (shift, asymmetry, broadening), but are not associated with an atom–atom interaction. In particular, in the case of n k 0 − 3 < 1 (where k 0 = ω 0 / c ) and significant Doppler broadening (with respect to collisional broadening), atomic-motion-induced nonlinear effects significantly exceed the well-known influence of the dipole–dipole interatomic interaction (e.g., Lorentz–Lorenz shift) by more than one order of magnitude. Moreover, under some conditions, a frequency interval appears in which a non-trivial self-consistent solution of the Maxwell–Bloch equations is absent due to atomic motion effects. Thus, the existing physical picture of spectroscopic effects that are nonlinear in atomic density in a gas medium should be substantially revised.
Generalized single-atom Maxwell-Bloch equations for optically dense media are derived taking into account noncooperative radiative atom-atom interactions. Applying a Gaussian approximation and formally eliminating the degrees of freedom of the quantized radiation field and of all but a probe atom leads to an effective time-evolution operator for the probe atom. The mean coherent amplitude of the local field seen by the atom is shown to be given by the classical Lorentz-Lorenz relation. The second-order correlations of the field lead to terms that describe relaxation or pump processes and level shifts due to multiple scattering or reabsorption of spontaneously emitted photons. In the Markov limit a nonlinear and nonlocal single-atom density matrix equation is derived. To illustrate the effects of the quantum corrections, we discuss amplified spontaneous emission and radiation trapping in a dense ensemble of initially inverted two-level atoms and the effects of radiative interactions on intrinsic optical bistability in coherently driven systems.
The propagation of the electromagnetic field of a laser through a dense Bose gas is examined and nonlinear operator equations for the motion of the center of mass of the atoms are derived. The goal is to present a self-consistent set of coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations for atomic and electromagnetic fields generalized to include the atomic center-of-mass motion. Two effects are considered. The ultracold gas forms a medium for the Maxwell field which modifies its propagation properties. Combined herewith is the influence of the dipole-dipole interaction between atoms which leads to a density-dependent shift of the atomic transition frequency. It is expressed in a position-dependent detuning and is the reason for the nonlinearity. This results in a direct and physically transparent way from the quantum field-theoretical version of the local-field approach to electrodynamics in quantum media. The equations for the matter fields are general. Previously published nonlinear equations are obtained as limiting cases. As an atom-optical application the scattering of a dense beam of a Bose gas is studied in the Raman-Nath regime. The main conclusion is that for increasing density of the gas the dipole-dipole interaction suppresses or enhances the scattering depending on the sign of the detuning.
We present the rigorous microscopic quantum theory of the interaction of ultracold Bose and Fermi gases with the electromagnetic field of vacuum and laser photons. The main attention has been paid to the consistent consideration of dynamical dipole-dipole interactions. The theory developed is shown to be consistent with the general principles of the canonical quantization of electromagnetic field in a medium. Starting from the first principles of QED we have derived the general system of Maxwell-Bloch equations for atomic creation and annihilation operators and the propagation equation for the laser field which can be used for the self-consistent analysis of various linear and nonlinear phenomena in atom optics at high densities of the atomic system. All known equations which are used for the description of the behaviour of an ultracold atomic ensemble in a radiation field can be obtained from our general system of equations in a low-density limit.