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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Quantum states in a one atom maser

Benjamin T. H. Varcoe

Published Jan 1, 2004• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The one atom maser is an archetype experiment of quantum optics, where the interaction is between the basic quantum components of a single atoms and a single mode field, uncluttered by unwanted side effects. Thus the one atom maser is able to examine the most fundamental aspects of the atom light interaction. In this paper we review three of the most recent experiments on the very topical subject of photon Fock state creation. Namely the creation Fock states via trapping states, dynamical Fock state preparation using state reduction of lower state atoms and finally the creation of Fock states on demand. In the two decades since its first operation, the one atom maser continues to operate at the forefront of quantum optics research having produced many first class results. We present some taste of future, as we turn the micromaser to quantum computing and the creation of exotic entangled states.

DOI
10.1364/iqec.2004.imn2

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The one atom maser is an archetype experiment of quantum optics, where the interaction is between the basic quantum components of a single atoms and a single mode field, uncluttered by unwanted side effects. Thus the one atom maser is able to examine the most fundamental aspects of the atom light interaction. In this paper we review three of the most recent experiments on the very topical subject of photon Fock state creation. Namely the creation Fock states via trapping states, dynamical Fock state preparation using state reduction of lower state atoms and finally the creation of Fock states on demand. In the two decades since its first operation, the one atom maser continues to operate at the forefront of quantum optics research having produced many first class results. We present some taste of future, as we turn the micromaser to quantum computing and the creation of exotic entangled states.
In recent experiments it was demonstrated that number or Fock states of the one-atom maser can be generated. Two types of experiments have been performed. In the first one the Fock states are achieved in steady state via the so-called trapping states of the micromaser field. In the second experiment the number states were generated in a dynamical experiment by state reduction. In the latter case the generated field was afterwards probed by observing the dynamics of a probe atom in the field. The fact that Fock states of the micromaser field can be realised leads to new applications of the micromaser one of them is the generation of a many particle entanglement of the GHZ type.
Many applications in quantum information or quantum computing require radiation with a fixed number of photons (called Fock or number states) and this special issue demonstrates the real increase in interest in this area. In this paper, we review three recent papers in which we discussed the creation of photon number states in the micromaser and discuss new results. In the first experiment, Fock states were created in steady state via trapping states. Some new results are presented in this section showing a remarkable improvement of our ability to create these states. We then review a second method of dynamic Fock state creation using state reduction of lower state atoms. In this experiment, we also observed the purity of the Fock state that was created via the observation of Rabi oscillations of a probe atom. Finally, we discuss the results of the third experiment that we performed which was an experimental demonstration of a method of creating Fock states on demand.
The quantum mechanical description of the radiation field is based on field states that are characterized by the number of quanta of the radiation field, called photons. These states called photon number states or Fock states consist of a fixed, integer number of photons. They are eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of the radiation field and therefore of fundamental importance to the quantum theory of the electromagnetic field. Photon number states are those states of the electromagnetic field that can be considered to be maximally distant from classical field states. They show extreme sub-Poissonian statistics and vanishing intensity noise. Thus due to the uncertainty relation their phase is completely undefined. These properties are called "intensity squeezing". Since the foundation of the theory of quantum electrodynamics, photon number states have been used in many theories as base states of the electromagnetic field. Yet, so far there have been experimental difficulties in the preparation and detection of these states that could not be overcome. In consequence for a long time it has been an unachieved goal of experimental quantum optics to produce, maintain and detect such states. In this thesis the first experimental production and the unambiguous measurement of photon number states of an extremely long lived resonator field are described. Three different methods are discussed, all of them using the one-atom-maser apparatus, which examines the interaction of single atoms of a weak thermal atomic beam with a single mode of a microwave resonator with a quality factor of 4 discussed in this thesis, shows how such a deterministic source for single photons can be realized in a pulsed one-atom-maser experiment making use of the dynamics of trapping states. Following the detailed description of a theoretical model, a first experimental realization of the source is shown. Here we achieve a creation probability of at least 83% for the one-photon Fock state. In addition in this mode the maser can be considered as a source for single atoms in a certain state. An extension of the optics and laser system of the one-atom-maser that is currently under construction will allow for an even higher yield of one-photon Fock states and also for the deterministic production of higher order Fock states. This will allow for many new interesting experiments using the described methods.
Summary form only given. We report on the first generation of Fock states using the micromaser. In order to produce the field, a flux of excited state atoms is passed through the cavity. The Fock states are realized in two ways: firstly in the steady state by using the trapping condition of the maser field, and secondly using state reduction of the pumping atoms. In the second experiment the purity of the Fock state could be investigated in detail by sending an additional probe atom into the cavity and investigating the dynamics of the photon exchange.
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.
Abstract The widely discussed applications in quantum information and quantum cryptography require radiation sources capable of producing a fixed number of photons. This paper reviews the work performed in our laboratory using the one‐atom maser or micromaser to produce these fields on demand. In order to achieve this goal the maser is operating under the condition of the so‐called trapping states. In this situation the field of the micromaser stabilises to a photon number state. In the second part of the paper a single photon source on the basis of a trapped ion will be described. The strong localization and position control available when an ion trap is combined with an optical cavity is a big step forward in producing a deterministic atom‐field coupling necessary for quantum information processing.