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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Generation of Fock states in the micromaser

Benjamin T. H. Varcoe, S. Brattke, HERBERT WALTHER

Published Aug 29, 2005• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

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.

DOI
10.1109/iqec.2000.908133

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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2004•0 citations
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.
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.
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.
In this paper we give a survey of our experiments performed with the micromaser on the generation of Fock states. Three methods can be used for this purpose: the trapping states leading to Fock states in a continuous wave operation; state reduction of a pulsed pumping beam and finally using a pulsed pumping beam to produce Fock states on demand where trapping states stabilize the photon number. The latter method is discussed in detail by means of Monte Carlo simulations of the maser system. The results of the simulations are presented in a video.
The operation of one atom-maser is considered under the conditions, when the atoms enter the cavity being excited to the state, which is the mixture of Zeeman sublevels of both the upper and lower resonant atomic levels. The analytic expression for the steady state photon distribution in the cavity under such conditions is obtained. It is shown, that the micromaser parameters, such as the atomic flux and velocity of atoms, the portion of atoms at the lower maser level, the polarizations of laser excitation fields may be chosen in such a way as to obtain the sharp maximum of photon distribution function at a given number of photons, providing the possibility of creation of pure Fock states.
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.