In the preceding chapters we have solved a number of specific problems in which electromagnetic fields interact with charges, atoms, or molecules, and these have been approached in several different ways. For example, for the problem of photoelectric detection, which involves short interaction times, we found it convenient to use a perturbative method, whereas the resonance fluorescence problem was treated by solving the Heisenberg equations of motion. In the following sections we shall encounter a number of general methods for tackling interaction problems that can often simplify the problems substantially when they are applicable. We shall illustrate the utility of these methods by recalculating a number of results that were obtained in a different manner before. The quantum regression theorem It was shown by Lax (1963; see also Louisell, 1973, Sec. 6.6) that, with the help of a certain factorization assumption, it is often possible to express multi-time correlation functions of certain quantum mechanical operators in terms of single-time expectations. The result is now known as the regression theorem . As multi-time correlation functions play a rather important role in quantum optics, the theorem is often of great utility, and it can drastically simplify certain calculations. In the following we largely adopt the procedure given by Lax. We consider two coupled quantum systems, to which, for the sake of convenience, we shall refer as the system ( S ) and the reservoir ( R ).
In the preceding chapters we have solved a number of specific problems in which electromagnetic fields interact with charges, atoms, or molecules, and these have been approached in several different ways. For example, for the problem of photoelectric detection, which involves short interaction times, we found it convenient to use a perturbative method, whereas the resonance fluorescence problem was treated by solving the Heisenberg equations of motion. In the following sections we shall encounter a number of general methods for tackling interaction problems that can often simplify the problems substantially when they are applicable. We shall illustrate the utility of these methods by recalculating a number of results that were obtained in a different manner before. The quantum regression theorem It was shown by Lax (1963; see also Louisell, 1973, Sec. 6.6) that, with the help of a certain factorization assumption, it is often possible to express multi-time correlation functions of certain quantum mechanical operators in terms of single-time expectations. The result is now known as the regression theorem . As multi-time correlation functions play a rather important role in quantum optics, the theorem is often of great utility, and it can drastically simplify certain calculations. In the following we largely adopt the procedure given by Lax. We consider two coupled quantum systems, to which, for the sake of convenience, we shall refer as the system ( S ) and the reservoir ( R ).
Interactions of a quantized electromagnetic field In the preceding chapters we have studied the quantum properties of the electromagnetic field, but we have treated it as a free or non-interacting quantum system until now. However, both the emission and the absorption of light imply interactions with other quantum systems, and we now turn to the treatment of such interaction problems. It is true that, to a limited extent, we have already succeeded in treating some interactions of light in previous chapters, without invoking the full apparatus of the quantum theory of interacting systems. For example, in Chapter 9 the electromagnetic field was treated as a classical potential acting on an atomic quantum system, and in Sections 12.2 and 12.9 we invoked simple heuristic arguments to describe the operation of certain optical detectors. But these are limited applications, and, in any case, the validity of results obtained in this way needs to be confirmed. To describe the state of a quantized electromagnetic field (F) in interaction with some other quantum system (A), we evidently require an enlarged, or product Hilbert space, which encompasses both F and A, of which the Hilbert spaces of F and A are subspaces. We shall find it convenient to refer to the other system A as an ‘atomic system’, simply to give a name, without restricting the nature of A. The dynamical variables of the field Ô F( t ) and of the atomic system Ô A( t ) commute at the same time t , and at the beginning, when the interaction between them is assumed to be turned on, each operator acts only on the state vectors within its respective Hilbert space.
This chapter is devoted to an introduction to atomic physics which will be mainly concerned with one-electron atoms. After a brief discussion of the perturbation and variational methods in Section 14.1, in Section 14.2 we study the fine and hyperfine structure of the energy levels as well as the effect of a magnetic field on these levels. In Section 14.3 we examine the coupling of an atom to an electromagnetic field and important applications of this coupling such as the photoelectric effect and the rate of spontaneous emission. In Section 14.4 we give a brief introduction to a subject which has been expanding enormously in the last twenty years, the laser manipulation of atoms, and we discuss Doppler cooling and magneto-optical traps. Finally, Section 14.5 is devoted to a short discussion of two-electron atoms. Approximation methods Generalities In classical physics it is only in exceptional cases that it is possible to solve the Newton or Maxwell equations analytically given the initial conditions at time t = t 0 and, in the first case, the forces, or, in the second, the sources of electromagnetic field. In general, it is necessary to resort to an approximation method such as numerical integration of the equations, the perturbation method, or something else. The situation is no different in quantum physics: only in exceptional cases do we know how to “solve the Schrödinger equation” exactly, that is, how to obtain the time evolution of the state vector |ϕ( t 〉 as a function of its value |ϕ( t 0 〉 at initial time t = t 0 .
In the master equation method, we have already illustrated a powerful technique for the calculation of the dynamics of an atomic system interacting with the vacuum field. Another technique for calculating the dynamics of an atomic system coupled to the elec- tromagnetic (EM) field involves Heisenberg equations of motion for the system’s operators. A difference between the master equation and the Heisenberg equations is that the later involves dynamics of the operators, which allows to analyse the evolution of an atomic system in terms of the field and atomic operators. This creates some problems with handling the Heisenberg equations as, in general, operators do not commute and then in the course of solution of the equations we may face the problem of ordering of the operators. It is usually resolved by putting the operators in the normal order. We have gained some experience with the Heisenberg equations of motion in Chapter 6, Example 6.3, where we studied squeezing generation in the nonlinear degenerate parametric amplifier (DPA) process. Here, we illustrate the technique on the standard model of a two-level atom interacting with a multi-mode field. We then generalize the technique to some specific models such as Lorenz- Maxwell and Langevin equations, the derivation of which involves some approximations that can be applied only in some limited cases. We also present in detail the Floquet approach, which is usually applied to problems determined by differential equations with time- dependent coefficients.
The interaction of electromagnetic fields with atomic/molecular systems is the genesis of most optical phenomena observed to date. To explain these effects, we need two broad classifications based on both classical and quantum theories. This strategy involves treating (1) fields as classical systems and atoms as quantum systems having discrete energy, (2) fields as quantum systems (particles rather than waves) and atomic systems as classical, or (3) both as quantum systems. Of course, schemes 1 and 2 are easy to solve and visualize, while scheme 3 is the most accurate description but complex in nature. In general, quantum approaches do not lead to exact solutions and require assumptions and simplifications to achieve a reasonably approximate solution. Thus, it is important to choose an appropriate strategy for solving a particular problem. The problem associated with atom–field interactions will also be subjected to different strategies to understand some of the experimentally observed phenomena such as Rabi oscillations. In this chapter, we will derive a master equation that serves as the starting point for solving a large number of problems associated with atom–field interactions.
Light is both radiated and absorbed by atoms, and the interaction between the quantized electromagnetic field and an atom represents one of the most fundamental problems in quantum optics. However, real atoms are complicated systems, and even the simplest real atom, the hydrogen atom, has a non-trivial energy level structure. It is therefore often necessary or desirable to approximate the behavior of a real atom by that of a much simpler quantum system. For many purposes only two atomic energy levels play a significant role in the interaction with the electromagnetic field, so that it has become customary in many theoretical treatments to represent the atom by a quantum system with only two energy eigenstates. This is the most basic of all quantum systems, and it generally simplifies the treatment substantially. In a real atom the selection rules limit the allowed transitions between states, so that, in some cases, a certain state may couple to only one other. Moreover, optical pumping techniques have been developed that allow such preferred states to be prepared in the laboratory, and they have been successfully used in experiments (Abate, 1974). The two-level atom approximation is therefore close to the truth and not merely a mathematical convenience in some experimental situations. In the following we begin by developing the algebra for such a two-level atom. Dynamical variables for a two-level atom We consider an atomic quantum system with the two energy levels shown in Fig. 15.1.
In this chapter we use the Langevin (Brownian motion) method of Chap. 19 to once again treat quantum mechanically both the field and the active atoms in a laser. The present treatment comprises a Heisenberg picture approach to the problem, as compared to the approach in Chap. 17, which represents the Schrodinger picture. The two methods are in complete agreement (as they should be!), a point discussed in some detail by Lax (1968). As before, the atoms are considered to comprise systems which interact with independent pumping and dissipation reservoirs, and the laser field is regarded as another system with reservoirs. The atom and field systems are then coupled by an electric-dipole perturbation energy, as depicted schematically in Fig. 20-1.