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

Physical Review A

Theory of adiabatic cooling in cavities

T. Zaugg, Pierre Meystre, Georg Lenz, Martin Wilkens

Published Apr 1, 1994• 22 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We analyze how a decaying cavity field can lead to significant atomic cooling. This cooling can be intuitively understood by invoking the adiabatic theorem to characterize the dynamics of an atom dressed by a classical field. We find numerically that cooling can proceed well into the quantum regime where there are only a few photons left in the cavity, and where the adiabatic theorem ceases to be applicable. A physical interpretation of this final cooling stage is given.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.49.3011

Related papers

Cavity Qed: Adiabatic Atomic Cooling in Cavities and Evaluation of a Technique for Atomic Homodyne Detection of Cotangent States.

T. Zaugg

Part I. We analyze how a decaying cavity field can lead to significant atomic cooling. This cooling can be intuitively understood by invoking the adiabatic theorem to characterize the dynamics of an atom dressed by a classical field. We find numerically that cooling can proceed well into the quantum regime where there are only a few photons left in the cavity, and where the adiabatic theorem ceases to be applicable. A physical interpretation of this final cooling stage is given. Part II. We evaluate a nonlinear atomic homodyne detection scheme for measuring the Wigner characteristic function of a microwave cavity field. We find numerically that the semiclassical approximation, on which this scheme is based, does not give results consistent with a full quantum calculation. We analyze the back-action of the measurements on steady-state 'macroscopic superpositions' that can be generated in high-Q microwave cavities. We show that the measurements required for a full characterization of the state destroys the macroscopic superposition such that it cannot be reconstructed by using the scheme that was used to generate it in the first place.

•Jan 1, 1994•0 citations

Semiclassical theory of synchronization-assisted cooling

Simon B. Jäger, Minghui Xu, Stefan Schütz +2 more

We analyze the dynamics leading to radiative cooling of an atomic ensemble confined inside an optical cavity when the atomic dipolar transitions are incoherently pumped and can synchronize. Our study is performed in the semiclassical regime and assumes that cavity decay is the largest rate in the system dynamics. We identify three regimes characterizing the cooling. At first hot atoms are individually cooled by the cavity friction forces. After this stage, the atoms' center-of-mass motion is further cooled by the coupling to the internal degrees of freedom while the dipoles synchronize. In the latest stage dipole-dipole correlations are stationary and the center-of-mass motion is determined by the interplay between friction and dispersive forces due to the coupling with the collective dipole. We analyze this asymptotic regime by means of a mean-field model and show that the width of the momentum distribution can be of the order of the photon recoil. Furthermore, the internal excitations oscillate spatially with the cavity standing wave forming an antiferromagnetic-like order.

arXiv:1702.01561•Physical Review A•Jun 30, 2017•17 citations

Dynamics of cavity cooling of trapped atoms

Stefano Zippilli, Marc Bienert, Mauricio Torres +1 more

In this poster we characterize the cooling dynamics of atoms confined by an external potential in a high-Q cavity, when the width of the atomic wave packet is much smaller than the field wave-length. Its form allows us to identify novel regimes where the motion can be efficiently cooled to the potential ground state. In particular, parameter regimes are identified where the dynamics is characterized by quantum interference between the mechanical effects of the laser and of the resonator fields, which selectively enhance the cooling transitions and thus the efficiency. In this regime we characterize the state of the system by the spectrum of the intensity of the light scattered by the atom and at the cavity output, when atom and cavity are at steady state of the cooling dynamics. We evaluate the spectrum by implementing the model of M. Bienert et al., (2006) to atoms inside resonators. We find that, in some cases, quantum interference effects lead to the suppression of features of the resonance fluorescence spectrum, which are otherwise visible in the spectrum of atoms in free space.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 1, 2007•0 citations

Cooling the motion of a trapped atom with a cavity field

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.

arXiv:1208.5942•Physical Review A•Nov 2, 2012•14 citations

Semiclassical theory of cavity-assisted atom cooling

P. Domokos, Péter Horák, Ritsch, H

We present a systematic semiclassical model for the simulation of the dynamics of a single two-level atom strongly coupled to a driven high-finesse optical cavity. From the Fokker-Planck equation of the combined atom-field Wigner function we derive stochastic differential equations for the atomic motion and the cavity field. The corresponding noise sources exhibit strong correlations between the atomic momentum fluctuations and the noise in the phase quadrature of the cavity field. The model provides an effective tool to investigate localisation effects as well as cooling and trapping times. In addition, we can continuously study the transition from a few photon quantum field to the classical limit of a large coherent field amplitude.

•Jan 1, 2001•45 citations

Semiclassical theory of cavity-assisted atom cooling

P. Domokos, Péter Horák, Helmut Ritsch

We present a systematic semiclassical model for the simulation of the dynamics of a single two-level atom strongly coupled to a driven high-finesse optical cavity.From the Fokker-Planck equation of the combined atom-field Wigner function we derive stochastic differential equations for the atomic motion and the cavity field.The corresponding noise sources exhibit strong correlations between the atomic momentum fluctuations and the noise in the phase quadrature of the cavity field.The model provides an effective tool to investigate localization effects as well as cooling and trapping times.In addition, we can continuously study the transition from a few-photon quantum field to the classical limit of a large coherent field amplitude.

arXiv:quant-ph/0010061•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Jan 9, 2001•90 citations
We analyze how a decaying cavity field can lead to significant atomic cooling. This cooling can be intuitively understood by invoking the adiabatic theorem to characterize the dynamics of an atom dressed by a classical field. We find numerically that cooling can proceed well into the quantum regime where there are only a few photons left in the cavity, and where the adiabatic theorem ceases to be applicable. A physical interpretation of this final cooling stage is given.
Part I. We analyze how a decaying cavity field can lead to significant atomic cooling. This cooling can be intuitively understood by invoking the adiabatic theorem to characterize the dynamics of an atom dressed by a classical field. We find numerically that cooling can proceed well into the quantum regime where there are only a few photons left in the cavity, and where the adiabatic theorem ceases to be applicable. A physical interpretation of this final cooling stage is given. Part II. We evaluate a nonlinear atomic homodyne detection scheme for measuring the Wigner characteristic function of a microwave cavity field. We find numerically that the semiclassical approximation, on which this scheme is based, does not give results consistent with a full quantum calculation. We analyze the back-action of the measurements on steady-state 'macroscopic superpositions' that can be generated in high-Q microwave cavities. We show that the measurements required for a full characterization of the state destroys the macroscopic superposition such that it cannot be reconstructed by using the scheme that was used to generate it in the first place.
We analyze the dynamics leading to radiative cooling of an atomic ensemble confined inside an optical cavity when the atomic dipolar transitions are incoherently pumped and can synchronize. Our study is performed in the semiclassical regime and assumes that cavity decay is the largest rate in the system dynamics. We identify three regimes characterizing the cooling. At first hot atoms are individually cooled by the cavity friction forces. After this stage, the atoms' center-of-mass motion is further cooled by the coupling to the internal degrees of freedom while the dipoles synchronize. In the latest stage dipole-dipole correlations are stationary and the center-of-mass motion is determined by the interplay between friction and dispersive forces due to the coupling with the collective dipole. We analyze this asymptotic regime by means of a mean-field model and show that the width of the momentum distribution can be of the order of the photon recoil. Furthermore, the internal excitations oscillate spatially with the cavity standing wave forming an antiferromagnetic-like order.
In this poster we characterize the cooling dynamics of atoms confined by an external potential in a high-Q cavity, when the width of the atomic wave packet is much smaller than the field wave-length. Its form allows us to identify novel regimes where the motion can be efficiently cooled to the potential ground state. In particular, parameter regimes are identified where the dynamics is characterized by quantum interference between the mechanical effects of the laser and of the resonator fields, which selectively enhance the cooling transitions and thus the efficiency. In this regime we characterize the state of the system by the spectrum of the intensity of the light scattered by the atom and at the cavity output, when atom and cavity are at steady state of the cooling dynamics. We evaluate the spectrum by implementing the model of M. Bienert et al., (2006) to atoms inside resonators. We find that, in some cases, quantum interference effects lead to the suppression of features of the resonance fluorescence spectrum, which are otherwise visible in the spectrum of atoms in free space.
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.
We present a systematic semiclassical model for the simulation of the dynamics of a single two-level atom strongly coupled to a driven high-finesse optical cavity. From the Fokker-Planck equation of the combined atom-field Wigner function we derive stochastic differential equations for the atomic motion and the cavity field. The corresponding noise sources exhibit strong correlations between the atomic momentum fluctuations and the noise in the phase quadrature of the cavity field. The model provides an effective tool to investigate localisation effects as well as cooling and trapping times. In addition, we can continuously study the transition from a few photon quantum field to the classical limit of a large coherent field amplitude.
We present a systematic semiclassical model for the simulation of the dynamics of a single two-level atom strongly coupled to a driven high-finesse optical cavity.From the Fokker-Planck equation of the combined atom-field Wigner function we derive stochastic differential equations for the atomic motion and the cavity field.The corresponding noise sources exhibit strong correlations between the atomic momentum fluctuations and the noise in the phase quadrature of the cavity field.The model provides an effective tool to investigate localization effects as well as cooling and trapping times.In addition, we can continuously study the transition from a few-photon quantum field to the classical limit of a large coherent field amplitude.