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Optica Acta International Journal of Optics

Quantum Theory of Multi-photon Lasers

L. Sczaniecki

Published Jan 1, 1982• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A quantum-mechanical model of multi-photon lasers is proposed for arbitrary degeneracy of the multi-photon processes of photon emission and absorption governing the interaction between the active medium and the radiation field. Equations of motion are derived for the mean values of the intensive, slowly varying operators essential to the description of the dynamics. Stationary solutions are found and their stability is studied proving the existence of a non-equilibrium first-order phase transition. The critical value of the inversion parameter required for laser action is shown to vary by a jump depending on the degree of degeneracy of the multi-photon processes of emission and absorption considered.

DOI
10.1080/713820745

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Physical Review•Sep 9, 1966•47 citations
A quantum-mechanical model of multi-photon lasers is proposed for arbitrary degeneracy of the multi-photon processes of photon emission and absorption governing the interaction between the active medium and the radiation field. Equations of motion are derived for the mean values of the intensive, slowly varying operators essential to the description of the dynamics. Stationary solutions are found and their stability is studied proving the existence of a non-equilibrium first-order phase transition. The critical value of the inversion parameter required for laser action is shown to vary by a jump depending on the degree of degeneracy of the multi-photon processes of emission and absorption considered.
We arrive at transition probabilities for a laserlike system by neglecting wave properties of matter and radiation, and treating the problem, in an analogy to chemical systems, entirely in a number representation. Thus, for example, stimulated emission is idealized as a collision between a photon and an excited atom and the transition rate is proportional to the amount of each species present in the cavity. In all, transition probabilities for stimulated emission, absorption of radiation, cavity loss, atomic deexcitation (other than stimulated emission), and pumping of atoms are included in the model. The resulting stochastic master equation analogous to that employed for the discussion of fluctuations in chemical systems is then used to obtain the deterministic behavior of atoms and field. This agrees with that of the quantum mechanical laser model of Casagrande and Lugiato; thus the rate parameters of the stochastic model may be related to the parameters of their model. Returning to the master equation, we project out the atomic variable and use adiabatic elimination to arrive at a closed, single-variable equation for P(n), the probability of having n photons in the cavity. The stationary solution of this equation is obtained and graphs of (n) and log[(n2)/(n)2] versus the pumping parameter show close agreement with the microscopic results of the Casa-grande-Lugiato model. A similar discussion of the fluctuations can also be given for a laser with saturable absorption. It shows a first-order phase transition. A comparison with the microscopic results of Lugiato et al. is outlined. Again a remarkable agreement of the stochastic approach via the master equation and the microscopic theory is obtained.
A quantum-mechanical model for a multiphoton laser is proposed by an obvious generalization of the usual one-photon laser model. The authors consider a class of lasers which preserve detailed balance. This condition is ensured by assuming a multiphoton loss mechanism for the laser light of the same order as the multiphoton gain from the stimulated emission process. Solutions for the stationary density operator of the light field are obtained by a straightforward generalization of the techniques of Scully and Lamb. The multiphoton laser around threshold exhibits behaviour analogous to a second-order phase transition. A non-thermal distribution of multiphoton laser light is achieved above threshold.
We develop a nonlinear theory of a two-photon correlated-spontaneous-emission laser (CEL) by using an effective interaction Hamiltonian for a two-level system coupled by a two-photon transition. Assuming that the active atoms are prepared initially in a coherent superposition of two atomic levels involved in the two-photon transition, we derive a master equation for the field-density operator by using our quantum theory for coherently pumped lasers. The steady-state properties of the two-photon CEL are studied by converting the field master equation into a Fokker-Planck equation for the antinormal-ordering Q representation of the field-density operator. Because of the injected atomic coherence, the drift and diffusion coefficients become phase sensitive. This leads to laser phase locking and an extra two-photon CEL gain. The laser field can build up from a vacuum in the no-population-inversion region, in contrast to an ordinary two-photon laser for which triggering is needed. We find an approximate steady-state solution of the Q representation for the laser field, which consists of two identical peaks of elliptical type. We calculate the phase variance and, for any given mean photon number, obtain the minimum variance in the phase quadrature as a function of the initial atomic variables. Squeezing of the quantum noise in the phase quadrature is found and it exhibits the following features: (1) it is possible only when the laser intensity is smaller than a certain value; (2) it becomes most significant for small mean photon number, which is achievable in the no-population-inversion region; and (3) a maximum of 50% squeezing can be asymptotically approached in the small laser intensity limit. As a by-product we also study the ordinary two-photon laser and find, e.g., photon-number variance and laser linewidth.
A quantum theory of two-photon correlated-spontaneous-emission lasers (CEL's) is developed, starting from the exact atom-field interaction Hamiltonian for cascade three-level atoms interacting with a single-mode radiation field. We consider the situation where the active atoms are prepared initially in a coherent superposition of three atomic levels and derive a master equation for the field-density operator by using a quantum theory for coherently pumped lasers. The master equation is transformed into a Fokker-Planck equation for the antinormal-ordering Q function. The drift coefficients of the Fokker-Planck equation enable us to study the steady-state operation of the two-photon CEL's analytically. We have studied both resonant two-photon CEL for which there is no threshold, and off-resonant two-photon CEL for which there exists a threshold. In both cases the initial atomic coherences provide phase locking, and squeezing in the phase quadrature of the field is found. The off-resonant two-photon CEL can build up from a vacuum when its linear gain is larger than the cavity loss (even without population inversion). Maximum squeezing is found in the no-population-inversion region with the laser intensities far below saturation in both cases, which are more than 90% for the resonant two-photon CEL and nearly 50% for the off-resonant one. Approximate steady-state Q functions are obtained for the resonant two-photon CEL and, in certain circumstances, for the off-resonant one.
The interaction is considered between NNN stationary two-level atoms and a radiation field described by a single cavity mode. The state vector for the complete system of atoms plus radiation is expressed as a linear superposition of states constructed from a product of photon states in the nnn representation and products of Pauli spin eigenstates describing all combinations of atoms in the lower and upper energy levels. Equations for the corresponding probability amplitudes are derived by substituting this superposition into the Schr\"odinger equation. The resulting equations are combined into bilinear form and phenomenological damping contributions are added. After the neglect of certain of the bilinear quantities, a master equation is derived which governs the probability Pmn{{P}_{m}}^{n}Pm​n of having mmm atoms in the lower level and nnn photons in the mode. This master equation takes account of multiple single-quantum absorption and emission processes but not of simultaneous multiple processes involving two or more atoms at a time. The equation which governs the expected number of photons 〈n〉〈n〉〈n〉 derived from the master equation bears a close resemblance to a rate equation. The effect of radiation loss from the cavity is incorporated into the master equation. Numerical calculations for a QQQ-spoiled laser show that the statistics of the number of photons in the mode bear a qualitative resemblance to Poisson statistics.