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

Effects of coupled bichromatic atom-cavity interaction in the cavity-QED microlaser

Hyun-Gue Hong, Wontaek Seo, Moonjoo Lee, Younghoon Song, Wonshik Choi, Christopher M. Fang-Yen, Ramachandra Rao Dasari, Michael S. Feld, Jai-Hyung Lee, Kyungwon An

Published Mar 13, 2009• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In the observation of multiple thresholds in the cavity-quantum electrodynamics microlaser there was deviation from the result predicted by uniform atom-cavity coupling theory, notably a frequency-pushing behavior. We analyze in the semiclassical limit the tilted injection of atoms, originally used to achieve a spatially uniform atom-cavity coupling, and show that the deviation originates from the interference between the induced dipole moments associated with two traveling-wave components of a standing-wave cavity mode. The criteria for sufficiently reduced interference and thus uniform atom-cavity interactions are derived in analytic considerations and verified by numerical calculation. Our analysis is well supported by experimental data.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.79.033816

Related papers

Observation of multiple thresholds in the many-atom cavity QED microlaser

Christopher M. Fang-Yen, Chung‐Chieh Yu, S. Ha +4 more

We report the observation of multiple laser thresholds in the many-atom cavity QED microlaser. Traveling-wave coupling and a supersonic atom beam are used to create a well-defined atom-cavity interaction. Multiple thresholds are observed as jumps in photon number due to oscillatory gain. Although the number of intracavity atoms is large, up to $N\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{3}$, the dynamics of the microlaser agree with a single-atom theory. This agreement is supported by quantum trajectory simulations of a many-atom microlaser and a semiclassical microlaser theory. We discuss the relation of the microlaser with the micromaser and conventional lasers.

arXiv:physics/0412143•Physical Review A•Apr 20, 2006•17 citations

Quantum trajectory analysis of a thresholdlike transition in the microlaser

Changhuei Yang, Kyungwon An

In a recent microlaser experiment [K. An et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 3375 (1994)], a thresholdlike transition of intracavity mean photon number as a function of intracavity mean atom number has been observed. In this paper the behavior is explored with quantum trajectory simulations. It is shown that the transition is caused by enhanced atom-cavity Rabi interaction due to the increase of the intracavity photon number as the intracavity atom number is increased. The transition is further accentuated by the position-dependent variation of the coupling constant in the Fabry-P\'erot cavity. In addition, it is demonstrated that multiatom collective effects are negligible in the microlaser under consideration, in which atoms are injected into the cavity at random times and the product of the coupling constant and atom-cavity interaction time is much less than \ensuremath{\pi}. In this case the analytic theory of the one-atom micromaser [P. Filipowicz et al., Phys. Rev. A 34, 3077 (1986)] can be extrapolated into the multiatom region, assuming uniform atom-cavity coupling throughout the cavity and monovelocity atomic injection. Finally, simulations are performed which account for spatial variation of coupling constant, velocity distribution of injected atoms, and spontaneous atomic decay in the actual experiment. The results are in good agreement with experiment.

Physical Review A•Jun 1, 1997•14 citations

Quantum theory of frequency pulling in the cavity-QED microlaser

Hyun-Gue Hong, Kyungwon An

The spectrum of the cavity-QED microlaser or micromaser is expected to show distinctive features of the coherent light-matter interaction, which are obscured in the conventional Schawlow-Townes linewidth theory. However, the spectral studies have been limited to resonant atom-cavity interaction so far. Here we consider the dispersive interaction in the off-resonance case, from which we uncover a quantum frequency pulling effect in the microlaser or micromaser spectrum. We present a quantum theory of the spectrum which introduces the notion of a frequency-pulling distribution associated with the photon number. In contrast to the conventional laser, periodic variation of the mean frequency pulling is observed with increasing pump parameter and it is attributed to the strong atom-cavity coupling. The pulling distribution gives rise to a spectral broadening, which can be dominant over the nondispersive broadening addressed in the previous works. We also developed a corresponding semiclassical theory and discuss how the introduction of the frequency shift fits in with the extended quantum theory.

arXiv:1201.1688•Physical Review A•Feb 24, 2012•3 citations

Spectrum of the Cavity-QED Microlaser: Strong Coupling Effects in the Frequency Pulling at Off Resonance

Hyun-Gue Hong, W. Seo, Younghoon Song +6 more

We report the first experimental observation of the cavity-QED microlaser spectrum, specifically the unconventional frequency pulling brought by a strong atom-cavity coupling at off resonance. The pulling is enhanced quadratically by the atom-cavity coupling to result in a sensitive response to the number of pumping atoms (2.1 kHz per atom maximally). Periodic variation of the pulling due to the coherent Rabi oscillation is also observed as the number of pumping atoms is increased across multiple thresholds.

Physical Review Letters•Dec 12, 2012•11 citations

Traveling-wave atom cavity interaction in the single-atom microlaser

Kyungwon An, Ramachandra Rao Dasari, Michael S. Feld

We demonstrated traveling-wave atom-cavity interaction in the single-atom microlaser by tilting the atomic beam from its usual orientation of normal incidence with respect to the cavity mode. Laser-tuning curves, measured for various excitation pulse areas, are in good agreement with one-atom microlaser-maser theory.

Optics Letters•Oct 1, 1997•20 citations

Spectrum of the cavity-QED microlaser: Quantum frequency pulling

Kyungwon An

Summary form only given. We have investigated the wave properties manifested in the first-order coherence or the spectrum of the cavity-QED microlaser by using a high-sensitive photon-counting-based heterodyne spectroscopy. The emission spectrum exhibited a linewidth broadening due to the quantum frequency pulling effect, namely the frequency pulling dependent on the intracavity atom- and photon-number intrinsic distributions, in the presence of nonzero atom-cavity detuning. We also observed a large per-atom frequency pulling (2.1 kHz maximally), enhanced by the strong atom-cavity coupling. Moreover, a stepwise change in the frequency pulling, associated with the coherent Rabi oscillations, was observed with the increased pumping over multiple thresholds.

International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks•Jul 1, 2012•0 citations
In the observation of multiple thresholds in the cavity-quantum electrodynamics microlaser there was deviation from the result predicted by uniform atom-cavity coupling theory, notably a frequency-pushing behavior. We analyze in the semiclassical limit the tilted injection of atoms, originally used to achieve a spatially uniform atom-cavity coupling, and show that the deviation originates from the interference between the induced dipole moments associated with two traveling-wave components of a standing-wave cavity mode. The criteria for sufficiently reduced interference and thus uniform atom-cavity interactions are derived in analytic considerations and verified by numerical calculation. Our analysis is well supported by experimental data.
We report the observation of multiple laser thresholds in the many-atom cavity QED microlaser. Traveling-wave coupling and a supersonic atom beam are used to create a well-defined atom-cavity interaction. Multiple thresholds are observed as jumps in photon number due to oscillatory gain. Although the number of intracavity atoms is large, up to $N\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{3}$, the dynamics of the microlaser agree with a single-atom theory. This agreement is supported by quantum trajectory simulations of a many-atom microlaser and a semiclassical microlaser theory. We discuss the relation of the microlaser with the micromaser and conventional lasers.
In a recent microlaser experiment [K. An et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 3375 (1994)], a thresholdlike transition of intracavity mean photon number as a function of intracavity mean atom number has been observed. In this paper the behavior is explored with quantum trajectory simulations. It is shown that the transition is caused by enhanced atom-cavity Rabi interaction due to the increase of the intracavity photon number as the intracavity atom number is increased. The transition is further accentuated by the position-dependent variation of the coupling constant in the Fabry-P\'erot cavity. In addition, it is demonstrated that multiatom collective effects are negligible in the microlaser under consideration, in which atoms are injected into the cavity at random times and the product of the coupling constant and atom-cavity interaction time is much less than \ensuremath{\pi}. In this case the analytic theory of the one-atom micromaser [P. Filipowicz et al., Phys. Rev. A 34, 3077 (1986)] can be extrapolated into the multiatom region, assuming uniform atom-cavity coupling throughout the cavity and monovelocity atomic injection. Finally, simulations are performed which account for spatial variation of coupling constant, velocity distribution of injected atoms, and spontaneous atomic decay in the actual experiment. The results are in good agreement with experiment.
The spectrum of the cavity-QED microlaser or micromaser is expected to show distinctive features of the coherent light-matter interaction, which are obscured in the conventional Schawlow-Townes linewidth theory. However, the spectral studies have been limited to resonant atom-cavity interaction so far. Here we consider the dispersive interaction in the off-resonance case, from which we uncover a quantum frequency pulling effect in the microlaser or micromaser spectrum. We present a quantum theory of the spectrum which introduces the notion of a frequency-pulling distribution associated with the photon number. In contrast to the conventional laser, periodic variation of the mean frequency pulling is observed with increasing pump parameter and it is attributed to the strong atom-cavity coupling. The pulling distribution gives rise to a spectral broadening, which can be dominant over the nondispersive broadening addressed in the previous works. We also developed a corresponding semiclassical theory and discuss how the introduction of the frequency shift fits in with the extended quantum theory.
We report the first experimental observation of the cavity-QED microlaser spectrum, specifically the unconventional frequency pulling brought by a strong atom-cavity coupling at off resonance. The pulling is enhanced quadratically by the atom-cavity coupling to result in a sensitive response to the number of pumping atoms (2.1 kHz per atom maximally). Periodic variation of the pulling due to the coherent Rabi oscillation is also observed as the number of pumping atoms is increased across multiple thresholds.
Summary form only given. We have investigated the wave properties manifested in the first-order coherence or the spectrum of the cavity-QED microlaser by using a high-sensitive photon-counting-based heterodyne spectroscopy. The emission spectrum exhibited a linewidth broadening due to the quantum frequency pulling effect, namely the frequency pulling dependent on the intracavity atom- and photon-number intrinsic distributions, in the presence of nonzero atom-cavity detuning. We also observed a large per-atom frequency pulling (2.1 kHz maximally), enhanced by the strong atom-cavity coupling. Moreover, a stepwise change in the frequency pulling, associated with the coherent Rabi oscillations, was observed with the increased pumping over multiple thresholds.