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Open Quantum Systems with Applications to Precision Measurements

David Tieri

Published Jan 1, 2015• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A spectrally pure coherent light source is an important component in precision measurement applications, such as an atomic clock. The more spectrally pure the coherent light source, or the narrower the linewidth of its power spectrum, the better for atomic clock experiments. A coherent light light source, such as a laser, is intrinsically an open quantum system, meaning that it gains and loses energy from an external environment.\nThe aim of this thesis is to study various open quantum systems in an attempt to discover a scheme in which an extremely spectrally pure coherent light source might be realized. Therefore, this thesis begins by introducing the two main approaches to treating open quantum systems, the quantum master equation approach, and the quantum Langevin equation approach. In addition to deriving these from first principles, many of the solution methods to these approaches are given and then demonstrated using computer simulations. These include the quantum jump algorithm, the quantum state diffusion algorithm, the cumulant expansion method, and the method of c-number Langevin equations.\nUsing these methods, the theory of the crossover between lasing and steady state superradiance is presented. It is shown that lasing and steady state superradiance might be demonstrated in the same physical system, but in different parameter regimes. The parameter space between these two extreme limits is explored, and the benefits and drawbacks of operating a system at a given set of parameters, i.e. to achieve the most spectrally pure light source, are discussed.\nWe also consider the phase stability of a laser that is locked to a cavity QED system comprised of atoms with an ultra-narrow optical transition. Although the atomic motion introduces Doppler broadening, the standing wave nature of the cavity causes saturated absorption, which can be used to achieve an extremely high degree of phase stabilization. The inhomogeneity introduced by finite atomic velocities can also cause optical bistability to disappear, resulting in no regions of dynamic instability that would otherwise restrict operational parameters in the experiment to be tuned outside of the optimum region where the minimum linewidth occurs.

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A spectrally pure coherent light source is an important component in precision measurement applications, such as an atomic clock. The more spectrally pure the coherent light source, or the narrower the linewidth of its power spectrum, the better for atomic clock experiments. A coherent light light source, such as a laser, is intrinsically an open quantum system, meaning that it gains and loses energy from an external environment.\nThe aim of this thesis is to study various open quantum systems in an attempt to discover a scheme in which an extremely spectrally pure coherent light source might be realized. Therefore, this thesis begins by introducing the two main approaches to treating open quantum systems, the quantum master equation approach, and the quantum Langevin equation approach. In addition to deriving these from first principles, many of the solution methods to these approaches are given and then demonstrated using computer simulations. These include the quantum jump algorithm, the quantum state diffusion algorithm, the cumulant expansion method, and the method of c-number Langevin equations.\nUsing these methods, the theory of the crossover between lasing and steady state superradiance is presented. It is shown that lasing and steady state superradiance might be demonstrated in the same physical system, but in different parameter regimes. The parameter space between these two extreme limits is explored, and the benefits and drawbacks of operating a system at a given set of parameters, i.e. to achieve the most spectrally pure light source, are discussed.\nWe also consider the phase stability of a laser that is locked to a cavity QED system comprised of atoms with an ultra-narrow optical transition. Although the atomic motion introduces Doppler broadening, the standing wave nature of the cavity causes saturated absorption, which can be used to achieve an extremely high degree of phase stabilization. The inhomogeneity introduced by finite atomic velocities can also cause optical bistability to disappear, resulting in no regions of dynamic instability that would otherwise restrict operational parameters in the experiment to be tuned outside of the optimum region where the minimum linewidth occurs.
The generation of very narrow linewidth light sources is of great importance in modern science. One such source is the superradiant laser, which relies on collectively interacting ultra long lived dipoles driven by incoherent light. Here we discuss a different way of generating spectrally pure light by coherently driving such dipoles inside an optical QED cavity. The light exiting cavity carries information about the detuning between the driving light and the atomic transition, but is also affected by the noise originating from all the decoherence processes that act on the combined atom-cavity system. We calculate these effects to obtain fundamental limits for frequency estimation and stabilization across a range of values of input light intensities and atom-light interaction strengths, estimate these limits in state-of-the-art cavity experiments with alkaline-earth atoms and identify favorable operating conditions. We find that the achievable linewidths are comparable to those of the superradiant laser.
In my thesis work, I have explored a variety of ways in which narrow linewidth optical transitions can be utilized to extend the capabilities of precision measurement and quantum science. These tools include non-destructive atom counting techniques that may enhance the performance of optical lattice clocks, a novel form of cavity enhanced atomic spectroscopy appropriate for laser frequency stabilization, a new form of laser cooling with reduced reliance on spontaneous emission, several methods for enhancing the sensitivity of proposed atomic gravitational wave detectors, a newly observed form of cavity-mediated spin-spin interactions, and a new class of laser based on optical superradiance from narrow and ultra-narrow linewidth transitions. As part of the superradiant laser project, we have demonstrated the most precise active absolute frequency reference realized to date, which still has great potential for improvement.\nMany of these tools involve coupling atoms to an optical cavity, a field known as cavity quantum electrodynamics, or cavity QED. In my thesis work, a key focus was the extension of cavity QED techniques into the new regime of coupling large ensembles of atoms to a cavity using narrow linewidth optical transitions (in contrast to the previously explored regimes of microwave-frequency transitions or broad-linewidth optical transitions). To this end, I constructed a new experiment to couple an ensemble of atoms to an optical cavity using two optical transitions in atomic strontium, one with a narrow 7.5 kHz linewidth, and another with an ultra-narrow 1 mHz linewidth. This new system has allowed us to access a unique new regime of cavity QED, and a wealth of interesting and useful applications.
In this talk, I will review recent theoretical and experimental developments aimed at utilizing ultracold quantum gases for a wide variety of cavity QED applications. Ultrastable "clock" atoms when employed as an active medium in a laser-like system could potentially form the basis for producing coherent light of extreme frequency stability. The fundamental coherence limits with realistic experimental parameters appear to be competitive with the most ultrastable lasers developed to date. Furthermore, the coupling of high-Q atoms with spin-like analogues by optical resonators have interesting applications in both quantum metrology and sensing, and in quantum information science.
Lasing and steady state superradiance are two phenomena that may appear at first glance to be distinct. In a laser, phase information is maintained by a macroscopic intracavity light field, and the robustness of this phase is what leads to the coherence of the output light. In contrast, the coherence of steady-state superradiant systems derives from the macroscopic collective dipole of a many-atom ensemble. In this paper, we develop a quantum theory that connects smoothly between these two extreme limits. We show that lasing and steady-state superradiance should be thought of as the two extreme limits of a continuous crossover. The properties of systems that lie in the superradiance, lasing, and crossover parameter regions are compared. We find that for a given output intensity a narrower linewidth can be obtained by operating closer to the superradiance side of the crossover. We also find that the collective phase is robust against cavity frequency fluctuations in the superradiant regime and against atomic level fluctuations in the lasing regime.
We consider the phase stability of a local oscillator (or laser) locked to a cavity-QED system composed of atoms with an ultranarrow optical transition. The atoms are cooled to milli-Kelvin temperatures and then released into the optical cavity. Although the atomic motion introduces Doppler broadening, the standing-wave nature of the cavity causes saturated absorption features to appear, which are much narrower than the Doppler width. These features can be used to achieve an extremely high degree of phase stabilization, competitive with the current state of the art. Furthermore, the inhomogeneity introduced by finite atomic velocities can cause optical bistability to disappear, resulting in no regions of dynamic instability and thus enabling a new regime accessible to experiments where optimum stabilization may be achieved.
Ultra stable frequency references such as the ones used in optical atomic clocks and for quantum metrology may be obtained by stabilizing a laser to an optical cavity that is stable over time. State-of-the-art frequency references are constructed in this way, but their stabilities are currently limited by thermally induced length fluctuations in the reference cavity. Several alternative approaches using the potential for frequency discriminating of highly forbidden narrow atomic transitions have been proposed in, e.g., [1] and [2]. In this proceeding we will present some of the ongoing experimental efforts derived from these proposals, to use cavity-enhanced interaction with atomic 88 Sr samples as a frequency reference for laser stabilization. Such systems can be realized using both passive and active approaches where either the atomic phase response is used as an error signal, or the narrow atomic transition itself is used as a source for a spectrally pure laser. Both approaches shows the promise of being able to compete with the current state of the art in stable lasers and have similar limitations on their ultimately achievable linewidths [1, 2].