Chapter 7 initially discusses mechanical effects on light and their application to optical tweezers. This leads to a discussion of laser cooling of gases and solids, magneto-optic traps, and velocity-selective coherent population trapping. Coherent population transfer is a counterintuitive way of altering the occupation of energy levels in an exceptionally efficient manner. Coherent transverse optical magnetism explores an optical effect mediated by the Lorentz force of light. Induced magnetic scattering is discussed and a closed form solution presented. Electromagnetically induced transparency is an interference effect that is useful for rendering opaque media transparent and enhancing high-order nonlinear optical processes via intermediate steps that may be fully resonant. Slow light is discussed. Squeezed light is given as an example of a coherent state with altered noise properties. Cavity quantum electrodynamics treats the interaction of atoms with light fields inside cavities, showing that strong atom-field interactions are possible in which the energy structure of the atoms is altered. A section on quantum information processing explains how quantum bits may be realized in practice and used to perform logic operations for quantum computing.
Chapter 7 initially discusses mechanical effects on light and their application to optical tweezers. This leads to a discussion of laser cooling of gases and solids, magneto-optic traps, and velocity-selective coherent population trapping. Coherent population transfer is a counterintuitive way of altering the occupation of energy levels in an exceptionally efficient manner. Coherent transverse optical magnetism explores an optical effect mediated by the Lorentz force of light. Induced magnetic scattering is discussed and a closed form solution presented. Electromagnetically induced transparency is an interference effect that is useful for rendering opaque media transparent and enhancing high-order nonlinear optical processes via intermediate steps that may be fully resonant. Slow light is discussed. Squeezed light is given as an example of a coherent state with altered noise properties. Cavity quantum electrodynamics treats the interaction of atoms with light fields inside cavities, showing that strong atom-field interactions are possible in which the energy structure of the atoms is altered. A section on quantum information processing explains how quantum bits may be realized in practice and used to perform logic operations for quantum computing.
Mechanical effects of light are considered in the first section of Chapter 7, together with their application to “optical tweezers.” This leads naturally to a discussion of laser cooling by a variety of techniques. Doppler cooling, magneto‐optic traps, sub‐Doppler cooling, and velocity‐selective coherent population trapping (VSCPT) are all covered. Then coherent population transfer is analyzed as a counterintuitive way of altering the occupation of energy levels in an exceptionally efficient manner. Coherent transverse optical magnetism, covered next, is the only example in the book of an optical effect mediated by the magnetic field of light. This phenomenon is characterized by intense emission of magnetic rather than electric dipole radiation at only moderate intensities and theoretically enables negative indices of refraction and spin control in unstructured, natural (nonmagnetic) materials. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is also described. This phenomenon is based on tri‐level coherence and can turn opaque media transparent over a limited bandwidth. Additionally, it can intensify high‐order nonlinear optical processes via intermediate step enhancement that is fully resonant. It has been applied to slow or store light as well. In this final chapter, squeezed light is given as an example of a coherent state with altered noise properties. Because the noise in squeezed quadratures of such a state can be reduced below the shot noise limit, it has applications to precision measurements and secure communication. The final section is on cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). This topic treats the interaction of atoms with weak fields that are enhanced through the use of external cavities. In cavity QED, single photons can interact strongly enough with atoms to exhibit Rabi‐splitting behavior, and the strong coupling limit is considered to be a viable approach to quantum computation.
This book bridges the gap between introductory quantum mechanics and the research front of modern optics and scientific fields that make use of light. While suitable as a reference for the specialist in quantum optics, it also targets non-specialists from other disciplines who need to understand light and its uses in research. It introduces a single analytic tool, the density matrix, to analyze complex optical phenomena encountered in traditional as well as cross-disciplinary research. It moves swiftly in a tight sequence from elementary to sophisticated topics in quantum optics, including optical tweezers, laser cooling, coherent population transfer, optical magnetism, electromagnetically induced transparency, squeezed light, and cavity quantum electrodynamics. A systematic approach starts with the simplest systems—stationary two-level atoms—then introduces atomic motion, adds more energy levels, and moves on to discuss first-, second-, and third-order coherence effects that are the basis for analyzing new optical phenomena in incompletely characterized systems. Unconventional examples and original problems are used in exploring a mathematical methodology which can tackle virtually any new problem involving light. The steady progression from “simple” to “elaborate” makes the book accessible not only to students from traditional subject areas that make use of light, but also to researchers such as biophysicists using mechanical effects of light; photochemists developing coherent control for rare species detection; biomedical engineers imaging through scattering media; electromechanical engineers working on molecular design of materials for electronics and space; electrical and computer engineers developing schemes for quantum computation, cryptography, frequency references, and the like.
Abstract This book bridges the gap between introductory quantum mechanics and the research front of modern optics and scientific fields that make use of light. While suitable as a reference for the specialist in quantum optics, it also targets non-specialists from other disciplines who need to understand light and its uses in research. It introduces a single analytic tool, the density matrix, to analyze complex optical phenomena encountered in traditional as well as cross-disciplinary research. It moves swiftly in a tight sequence from elementary to sophisticated topics in quantum optics, including optical tweezers, laser cooling, coherent population transfer, optical magnetism, electromagnetically induced transparency, squeezed light, and cavity quantum electrodynamics. A systematic approach starts with the simplest systems—stationary two-level atoms—then introduces atomic motion, adds more energy levels, and moves on to discuss first-, second-, and third-order coherence effects that are the basis for analyzing new optical phenomena in incompletely characterized systems. Unconventional examples and original problems are used in exploring a mathematical methodology which can tackle virtually any new problem involving light. The steady progression from "simple" to "elaborate" makes the book accessible not only to students from traditional subject areas that make use of light, but also to researchers such as biophysicists using mechanical effects of light; photochemists developing coherent control for rare species detection; biomedical engineers imaging through scattering media; electromechanical engineers working on molecular design of materials for electronics and space; electrical and computer engineers developing schemes for quantum computation, cryptography, frequency references, and the like.
This book attempts to bridge the enormous gap between introductory quantum mechanics and the research front of modern optics and scientific fields that make use of light in one step. Hence, while it is suitable as a reference for the specialist in quantum optics, it also targets the nonspecialists from other disciplines who need to understand light and its uses in research. With a unique approach it introduces a single analytic tool, namely the density matrix, to analyze complex optical phenomena encountered in traditional as well as cross‐disciplinary research. It moves swiftly in a tight sequence from elementary to sophisticated topics in quantum optics, including laser tweezers, laser cooling, coherent population transfer, optical magnetism, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), squeezed light, and cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). A systematic approach is used that starts with the simplest systems – stationary two‐level atoms – then introduces atomic motion, adds more energy levels, and moves on to discuss first‐, second‐, and third‐order coherence effects that are the basis for analyzing new optical phenomena in incompletely characterized systems. Unconventional examples and original problems are used to engage even seasoned researchers in exploring a mathematical methodology with which they can tackle virtually any new problem involving light. An extensive bibliography makes connections with mathematical techniques and subject areas which can extend the benefit of each section to guide readers further. The steady progression from “simple” to “elaborate” makes the book accessible not only to students from traditional subject areas that make use of light (physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and materials science), but also to researchers from the “hyphenated” subjects of modern science and engineering: the biophysicists using mechanical effects of light, photochemists developing coherent control for rare species detection, biomedical engineers imaging through scattering media, electromechanical engineers working on molecular design of materials for electronics and space, electrical and computer engineers developing schemes for quantum computation, cryptography, frequency references, and so on. To try to identify techniques and ideas that are universal enough to be applied across the bewildering landscape of research on intersecting boundaries of emerging modern disciplines is a great challenge of out time. “Lectures on Light” offers selected insights on quantum dynamics and quantum theory of light for exactly this purpose.
Coherent atomic states prepared by laser field can have quantum interference\nbetween the different transition amplitudes. Therefore, the medium susceptibility\nand optical response can be engineered, leading to many interesting phenomena, such\nas coherent population trapping (CPT), electromagnetically induced transparency\n(EIT), and lasing without inversion (LWI).\nWe studied the coherence effects in various prototype atomic systems, and found\nmany interesting applications. We solved the slow light bandwidth problem by decomposing\nthe pulse and matching each frequency to its EIT window using a magnetic\nfield gradient. We also considered the probe field deflection induced by the driving\nfield distribution in EIT, and showed that even a broadband pulse can be deflected\nwithout serious spreading. In the fast light area, we examined the effects of noise and\nparameter deviations in a bichromatic Raman type white light cavity. Taking advantage\nof the adjustable absorption of EIT, we showed that EIT in a laser cavity can\nhave either first-order or second-order phase transitions. Last but not least, we show\nthat the adiabatic population transfer can be used to reverse the weak measurement\nof an arbitrary field with finite photon number.
Coherent preparation by laser light of quantum states of atoms and molecules can lead to quantum interference in the amplitudes of optical transitions. In this way the optical properties of a medium can be dramatically modified, leading to electromagnetically induced transparency and related effects, which have placed gas-phase systems at the center of recent advances in the development of media with radically new optical properties. This article reviews these advances and the new possibilities they offer for nonlinear optics and quantum information science. As a basis for the theory of electromagnetically induced transparency the authors consider the atomic dynamics and the optical response of the medium to a continuous-wave laser. They then discuss pulse propagation and the adiabatic evolution of field-coupled states and show how coherently prepared media can be used to improve frequency conversion in nonlinear optical mixing experiments. The extension of these concepts to very weak optical fields in the few-photon limit is then examined. The review concludes with a discussion of future prospects and potential new applications.