Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

The Rochester Conferences on Coherence and Quantum Optics and the Quantum Information and Measurement meeting

J-C Theory with Radiation Reaction: Neoclassical Theory

Carlos R. Stroud

Published Jan 1, 2013• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The Jaynes-Cummings paper treats the problem of one-atom interacting with one cavity mode with two alternative theories: quantum electrodynamics and semiclassical theory, and compares the predictions. The semiclassical theory was later extended to treat a single atom in free space interacting with a classical field including radiation reaction. The resulting theory was called Neoclassical theory, and is described by nonlinear optical Bloch equations. These nonlinear equations have shown up in a number of physical systems and were the subject of the famous Jaynes-Franken bet that was a prominent feature of the early Rochester Coherence and Quantum Optics Conferences. We will touch on all of these topics in a historical review.

DOI
10.1364/cqo.2013.m1.5

Related papers

Jaynes–Cummings theory out of the box

Elizabeth Groves, B. D. Clader, Joseph H. Eberly

We report new results in neoclassical quantum optics by applying the central theme of the Jaynes–Cummings paper of 1963. This theme, which Jaynes and Cummings emphasized in several ways, is the key role that must be assigned to radiative back reaction in quantum radiation dynamics. Its consequences are well known in subjects related to cavity quantum electrodynamics, and its influence on optical pulse evolution theory is equally strong. Here we provide a new solitonic extension of the radiation reaction theme to short-pulse broad-bandwidth propagation theory. We report a single formula encapsulating a three-pulse scenario in which the stable imprint of signal-pulse coherence, placed in an atomic medium at a predictable location by an initial pulse pair, is subsequently transferred by a third pulse to a different location. This is analysed by reference to our new analytic solution of the nonlinearly coupled density matrix equations that incorporate the radiation reaction fields obtained from the Maxwell equations for the pulses in the atomic medium.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Nov 7, 2013•8 citations

Neoclassicism challenges QED

Some physicists are questioning the necessity of quantum electrodynamics in quantum optics and perhaps elsewhere. A lively discussion on possible alternatives developed during the Third Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics at the end of June. The most widely discussed alternative was the neoclassical theory of Edwin Jaynes and his collaborators (Washington University in St. Louis). This theory regards the Maxwell equations as describing the radiation field while the Schrödinger equation is applied to the atoms. The charge and current sources of the Maxwell field are taken to be given by the corresponding probability densities of wave mechanics. Jaynes contends that these nonlinear equations describe physical phenomena better than has been appreciated in earlier times.

Physics Today•Oct 1, 1972•0 citations

Paralelo entre as teorias quântica e semi-clássica da interação átomo-campo no modelo Jaynes-Cummings

Luísa. A. P. Filpi

We studied a very simple model of the interaction between radiation and matter, named Jaynes-Cummings model. Matter is represented by an atom, treated as a two level system, which interacts with one single mode of the electromagnetic field. We looked at the problem in two different ways: first, treating both systems as quantum and later, considering the field as classical and the atom as quantum. In particular,we concentrate in obtaining the population inversion in both cases. In the context of semiclassical theory, we still used two distinct approachs: one, taking into account the field reaction of the atom and, the other, ignoring any effect of the atom onto the field. We verified that the first gives a more realistic description than the second because it accounts for spontaneous emission by the atom. We still included the environment on the description of both quantum and classical dynamics.

•Jan 1, 2009•0 citations

Source Theory of Vacuum Field Effects

Peter W. Milonni

When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate the truth. —Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax ABSTRACT. It is now well established that effects traditionally associated with vacuum electromagnetic field fluctuations can be described equally well in terms of source fields (radiation reaction). This remarkable reconciliation of two previously unconnected points of view, which was stimulated by Jaynes' neoclassical theory, is reviewed and explained in a general and simple way. Background The Jaynes-Cummings paper seems to have been the first to employ dressed states of two-state atoms in fields (Jaynes 1963). One result found in that paper is that semiclassical radiation theory could serve as an excellent approximation even under certain conditions where the average number of photons in the field is small. The accuracy of semiclassical theory paved the way to Jaynes' “neoclassical theory,” where even spontaneous emission was treated without field quantization (Jaynes 1972, Milonni 1976). The neoclassical theory was a subject of much debate and misunderstanding in the 1970s. It turned out not to be so easy to dismiss it on experimental grounds.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Sep 2, 1993•0 citations

The Jaynes–Cummings Model is Alive and Well

Pierre Meystre

Introduction In 1963, E. T. Jaynes and F. W. Cummings published a paper entitled “Comparison of Quantum and Semiclassical Radiation Theories, with Application to the Beam Maser.” This paper was written at a time when the quantum theory of the laser had not yet been worked out, and represented an attempt at discussing the new behaviour that could be expected from treating the field quantum mechanically instead of classically. Jaynes and Cummings began by considering the interaction between a single two-level molecule and a single field mode, a simple situation which has become known as the Jaynes-Cummings model. Treating then the maser medium as a beam of two-level systems initially in a mixture of their upper and lower states characterized by a temperature T , they found that the field mode reached a thermal equilibrium with temperature T f = Ω T /ω, where ω is the transition frequency of the two-level systems and Ω is the field mode frequency, provided that T > 0. For T < 0, the steady state field was found to contain an infinite amount of energy, an unphysical result resulting from the neglect of losses in the model. Jaynes and Cummings then proceeded to develop an alternative semi-classical theory of the beam maser, introducing their famous neo-classical theory of spontaneous emission. An important follow-up paper was published by F. W. Cummings, who studied the long-time behavior of a two-level system interacting with a quantized single-mode field initially in a coherent state.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Sep 2, 1993•0 citations

Self-Consistent Radiation Reaction in Quantum Optics – Jaynes' Influence and a New Example in Cavity QED

Joseph H. Eberly

. It is pointed out that the self-consistent treatment of radiation reaction is a common feature of many Ph.D. theses of E. T. Jaynes' students and “grandstudents” in the 30-year period 1962 - 1992. In this way they are all descended from Microwave Laboratory Report 502, written by Jaynes at Stanford in 1958. A number of examples are described briefly, and a new example that extends the framework laid down in M. L. 502 is presented. Microwave Laboratory Report 502 In 1958 E. T. Jaynes wrote a paper entitled Some Aspects of Maser Theory that was issued as Microwave Laboratory Report No. 502 at Stanford University. The cover of the report is shown in Fig. 1. In the Abstract of M. L. 502 Jaynes identified the work as an examination of the relation between quantum electrodynamics and the semiclassical theory of radiation. M. L. 502 was intended to serve as a preliminary step in a study of the ultimate limitations on noise figure and frequency stability in molecular-beam masers. The Abstract says, among other things, that “the semiclassical theory, as extended here, is a far more reliable means of calculating radiation processes than usually supposed.” In the present author's view, M. L. 502 reported the first examination of dynamical questions that are now associated with the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Cambridge University Press eBooks•Sep 2, 1993•0 citations
The Jaynes-Cummings paper treats the problem of one-atom interacting with one cavity mode with two alternative theories: quantum electrodynamics and semiclassical theory, and compares the predictions. The semiclassical theory was later extended to treat a single atom in free space interacting with a classical field including radiation reaction. The resulting theory was called Neoclassical theory, and is described by nonlinear optical Bloch equations. These nonlinear equations have shown up in a number of physical systems and were the subject of the famous Jaynes-Franken bet that was a prominent feature of the early Rochester Coherence and Quantum Optics Conferences. We will touch on all of these topics in a historical review.
We report new results in neoclassical quantum optics by applying the central theme of the Jaynes–Cummings paper of 1963. This theme, which Jaynes and Cummings emphasized in several ways, is the key role that must be assigned to radiative back reaction in quantum radiation dynamics. Its consequences are well known in subjects related to cavity quantum electrodynamics, and its influence on optical pulse evolution theory is equally strong. Here we provide a new solitonic extension of the radiation reaction theme to short-pulse broad-bandwidth propagation theory. We report a single formula encapsulating a three-pulse scenario in which the stable imprint of signal-pulse coherence, placed in an atomic medium at a predictable location by an initial pulse pair, is subsequently transferred by a third pulse to a different location. This is analysed by reference to our new analytic solution of the nonlinearly coupled density matrix equations that incorporate the radiation reaction fields obtained from the Maxwell equations for the pulses in the atomic medium.
Some physicists are questioning the necessity of quantum electrodynamics in quantum optics and perhaps elsewhere. A lively discussion on possible alternatives developed during the Third Rochester Conference on Coherence and Quantum Optics at the end of June. The most widely discussed alternative was the neoclassical theory of Edwin Jaynes and his collaborators (Washington University in St. Louis). This theory regards the Maxwell equations as describing the radiation field while the Schrödinger equation is applied to the atoms. The charge and current sources of the Maxwell field are taken to be given by the corresponding probability densities of wave mechanics. Jaynes contends that these nonlinear equations describe physical phenomena better than has been appreciated in earlier times.
We studied a very simple model of the interaction between radiation and matter, named Jaynes-Cummings model. Matter is represented by an atom, treated as a two level system, which interacts with one single mode of the electromagnetic field. We looked at the problem in two different ways: first, treating both systems as quantum and later, considering the field as classical and the atom as quantum. In particular,we concentrate in obtaining the population inversion in both cases. In the context of semiclassical theory, we still used two distinct approachs: one, taking into account the field reaction of the atom and, the other, ignoring any effect of the atom onto the field. We verified that the first gives a more realistic description than the second because it accounts for spontaneous emission by the atom. We still included the environment on the description of both quantum and classical dynamics.
When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate the truth. —Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax ABSTRACT. It is now well established that effects traditionally associated with vacuum electromagnetic field fluctuations can be described equally well in terms of source fields (radiation reaction). This remarkable reconciliation of two previously unconnected points of view, which was stimulated by Jaynes' neoclassical theory, is reviewed and explained in a general and simple way. Background The Jaynes-Cummings paper seems to have been the first to employ dressed states of two-state atoms in fields (Jaynes 1963). One result found in that paper is that semiclassical radiation theory could serve as an excellent approximation even under certain conditions where the average number of photons in the field is small. The accuracy of semiclassical theory paved the way to Jaynes' “neoclassical theory,” where even spontaneous emission was treated without field quantization (Jaynes 1972, Milonni 1976). The neoclassical theory was a subject of much debate and misunderstanding in the 1970s. It turned out not to be so easy to dismiss it on experimental grounds.
Introduction In 1963, E. T. Jaynes and F. W. Cummings published a paper entitled “Comparison of Quantum and Semiclassical Radiation Theories, with Application to the Beam Maser.” This paper was written at a time when the quantum theory of the laser had not yet been worked out, and represented an attempt at discussing the new behaviour that could be expected from treating the field quantum mechanically instead of classically. Jaynes and Cummings began by considering the interaction between a single two-level molecule and a single field mode, a simple situation which has become known as the Jaynes-Cummings model. Treating then the maser medium as a beam of two-level systems initially in a mixture of their upper and lower states characterized by a temperature T , they found that the field mode reached a thermal equilibrium with temperature T f = Ω T /ω, where ω is the transition frequency of the two-level systems and Ω is the field mode frequency, provided that T > 0. For T < 0, the steady state field was found to contain an infinite amount of energy, an unphysical result resulting from the neglect of losses in the model. Jaynes and Cummings then proceeded to develop an alternative semi-classical theory of the beam maser, introducing their famous neo-classical theory of spontaneous emission. An important follow-up paper was published by F. W. Cummings, who studied the long-time behavior of a two-level system interacting with a quantized single-mode field initially in a coherent state.
. It is pointed out that the self-consistent treatment of radiation reaction is a common feature of many Ph.D. theses of E. T. Jaynes' students and “grandstudents” in the 30-year period 1962 - 1992. In this way they are all descended from Microwave Laboratory Report 502, written by Jaynes at Stanford in 1958. A number of examples are described briefly, and a new example that extends the framework laid down in M. L. 502 is presented. Microwave Laboratory Report 502 In 1958 E. T. Jaynes wrote a paper entitled Some Aspects of Maser Theory that was issued as Microwave Laboratory Report No. 502 at Stanford University. The cover of the report is shown in Fig. 1. In the Abstract of M. L. 502 Jaynes identified the work as an examination of the relation between quantum electrodynamics and the semiclassical theory of radiation. M. L. 502 was intended to serve as a preliminary step in a study of the ultimate limitations on noise figure and frequency stability in molecular-beam masers. The Abstract says, among other things, that “the semiclassical theory, as extended here, is a far more reliable means of calculating radiation processes than usually supposed.” In the present author's view, M. L. 502 reported the first examination of dynamical questions that are now associated with the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics.