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Journal of Modern Optics

Generalized quasi mode theory of macroscopic canonical quantization in cavity quantum electrodynamics and quantum optics I. Theory

S. A. Brown, Bryan J. Dalton

Published Mar 1, 2001• 11 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The quasi mode theory of macroscopic quantization in quantum optics and cavity QED developed by Dalton, Barnett and Knight is generalized. This generalization allows for cases in which two or more quasi permittivities, along with their associated mode functions, are needed to describe the classical optics device. It brings problems such as reflection and refraction at a dielectric boundary, the linear coupler, and the coupling of two optical cavities within the scope of the theory. For the most part, the results that are obtained here are simple generalizations of those obtained in previous work. However the coupling constants, which are of great importance in applications of the theory, are shown to contain significant additional terms which cannot be ‘guessed’ from the simpler forms. The expressions for the coupling constants suggest that the critical factor in determining the strength of coupling between a pair of quasi modes is their degree of spatial overlap. In an accompanying paper a fully quantum theoretic derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction at a boundary is given as an illustration of the generalized theory. The quasi mode picture of this process involves the annihilation of a photon travelling in the incident region quasi mode, and the subsequent creation of a photon in either the incident region or transmitted region quasi modes.

DOI
10.1080/09500340010003744

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The quasi mode theory of macroscopic quantization in quantum optics and cavity QED developed by Dalton, Barnett and Knight is generalized. This generalization allows for cases in which two or more quasi permittivities, along with their associated mode functions, are needed to describe the classical optics device. It brings problems such as reflection and refraction at a dielectric boundary, the linear coupler, and the coupling of two optical cavities within the scope of the theory. For the most part, the results that are obtained here are simple generalizations of those obtained in previous work. However the coupling constants, which are of great importance in applications of the theory, are shown to contain significant additional terms which cannot be ‘guessed’ from the simpler forms. The expressions for the coupling constants suggest that the critical factor in determining the strength of coupling between a pair of quasi modes is their degree of spatial overlap. In an accompanying paper a fully quantum theoretic derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction at a boundary is given as an illustration of the generalized theory. The quasi mode picture of this process involves the annihilation of a photon travelling in the incident region quasi mode, and the subsequent creation of a photon in either the incident region or transmitted region quasi modes.
The generalization of the quasi mode theory of macroscopic quantization in quantum optics and cavity QED presented in the previous paper, is applied to provide a fully quantum theoretic derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction at a boundary. The quasi mode picture of this process involves the annihilation of a photon travelling in the incident region quasi mode, and the subsequent creation of a photon in either the incident region or transmitted region quasi modes. The derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction is achieved through the dual application of the quasi mode theory and a quantum scattering theory based on the Heisenberg picture. Formal expressions from scattering theory are given for the reflection and transmission coefficients. The behaviour of the intensity for a localized one photon wave packet coming in at time minus infinity from the incident direction is examined and it is shown that at time plus infinity, the light intensity is only significant where the classical laws of reflection and refraction predict. The occurrence of both refraction and reflection is dependent upon the quasi mode theory coupling constants between incident and transmitted region quasi modes being non-zero, and it is seen that the contributions to such coupling constants come from the overlap of the mode functions in the boundary layer region, as might be expected from a microscopic theory.
The generalization of the quasi mode theory of macroscopic quantization in quantum optics and cavity QED presented in the previous paper, is applied to provide a fully quantum theoretic derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction at a boundary. The quasi mode picture of this process involves the annihilation of a photon travelling in the incident region quasi mode, and the subsequent creation of a photon in either the incident region or transmitted region quasi modes. The derivation of the laws of reflection and refraction is achieved through the dual application of the quasi mode theory and a quantum scattering theory based on the Heisenberg picture. Formal expressions from scattering theory are given for the reflection and transmission coefficients. The behaviour of the intensity for a localized one photon wave packet coming in at time minus infinity from the incident direction is examined and it is shown that at time plus infinity, the light intensity is only significant where the classical laws of reflection and refraction predict. The occurrence of both refraction and reflection is dependent upon the quasi mode theory coupling constants between incident and transmitted region quasi modes being nonzero, and it is seen that the contributions to such coupling constants come from the overlap of the mode functions in the boundary layer region, as might be expected from a microscopic theory.
A macroscopic, canonical quantization of the EM field and radiating atom system in quantum optics and cavity QED involving classical, linear optical devices, based on expanding the vector potential in terms of quasi mode functions is presented. The quasi mode functions approximate the true mode functions for the device, and are obtained by solving the Helmholtz equation for an idealized spatially dependent electric permittivity function describing the device. The Hamiltonian for the EM field and radiating atom system is obtained in multipolar form and the quantum EM field is found to be equivalent to a set of quantum harmonic oscillators, one oscillator per quasi mode. However, unlike true mode theory where the quantum harmonic oscillators are uncoupled, in the quasi mode theory they are coupled and photon exchange processes can occur. Explicit expressions for the coupling constants are obtained. The interaction energy between the radiative atoms and the quantum EM field depends on the amplitudes of the quasi mode functions at the positions of the radiating atoms, similar to that for the true mode approach. The simpler forms for the quasi mode functions enable the atom-field interaction energy to be written in a form in which the atoms are only coupled to certain types of modes—for example cavity quasi modes, which are large inside the optical cavity. In such cases the escape of energy from excited atoms in the cavity can be pictured in quasi mode theory as a two step process—the atom de-excites and creates a photon in a cavity quasi mode, the photon in the cavity quasi mode is then lost and appears as a photon in an external quasi mode. In this process the first step occurs via the atom-cavity quasi mode interaction, the second through coupling between cavity and external quasi modes. This may be contrasted with the true mode approach, where the excited atom loses its energy and the photon is created in one of the true modes. As all true modes have non-zero amplitudes outside as well as inside the cavity, the escape of energy from excited atoms in the cavity is seen as a one step process. An application of the quasi mode theory to the quantum theory of the beam splitter is outlined. The unitary operator used to describe this device is a scattering operator, relating initial and long time values of annihilation, creation operators for pairs of incident and reflected modes, interpreted here as quasi modes.
In the present and the accompanying paper a justification of the standard model of cavity quantum electrodynamics is given in terms of a quasi-mode theory of macroscopic canonical quantization. The coupling of the cavity quasi-mode to external quasi-modes is treated for the representative case of the three-dimensional Fabry-Perot cavity. The general form of the travelling and trapped mode functions for this cavity are derived in this paper and the mode-mode coupling constants are calculated in the accompanying paper. The slow dependence of the coupling constants with the mode frequency difference demonstrates that the conditions for Markovian damping of the cavity quasimode are satisfied. As also discussed in the accompanying paper, the interaction of radiative atoms with cavity quasi-modes is associated with reversible energy exchanges between atom and cavity and represented by Rabi coupling constants. The interaction of radiative atoms located within the cavity with sideways travelling external quasi-modes involves slowly varying coupling constants and is associated with irreversible spontaneous emission dampling. The basic processes represented in the standard cavity quantum electrodynamics model and the associated coupling constant and decay rates thereby follow from the quasi-mode theory.
A quantum theory of the lossless beam splitter is given in terms of the quasi mode theory of macroscopic canonical quantization used to treat problems in cavity quantum electrodynamics and quantum optics. A Heisenberg picture approach to quantum scattering theory is applied, in which the input and output operators that are related via the scattering operator are linked to quantum optical measurements described via multi-time quantum correlation functions. In the application to the beam splitter the Heisenberg equations of motion for the input operators associated with the quasi mode annihilation operators are formally solved in a rotating picture to show that the unitary transform of the incident quasi mode annihilation operator (via the scattering operator) is just a linear combination of the incident and reflected quasi mode annihilation operators, in accordance with assumptions made in previous treatments of the beam splitter. The results depend on conservation of the transverse component of the wave vector, which follows from the form of the quasi mode-quasi mode coupling constants, and on conservation of the unperturbed energy, which follows from scattering theory. The applicability of quantum scattering theory to the beam splitter is justified in the usual situation where integrated one photon and two photon detection rates are finite for incident light field states of interest.
Specific forms of the travelling and trapped vector mode functions for a three-dimensional Fabry-Perot cavity are developed from the general results of the preceding paper, with parameters describing the output cavity mirror chosen for a typical high Q cavity case. Cavity and external quasi-mode functions associated with the quasi-mode theory of macroscopic canonical quantization are then obtained via an idealized choice of output mirror parameters. The coupling constants describing photon exchange processes between the single cavity quasi-mode associated with each Fabry-Perot resonance and various external quasi-modes are calculated, and their slow dependence on the external quasi-mode frequency shows that the conditions for irreversible Markovian damping of the cavity quasi-mode are satisfied. For radiative atoms placed in the cavity the coupling constants for energy exchange processes with sideways travelling external quasi-modes also vary slowely, so that Markovian spontaneous emission damping occurs for the radiative atoms. However, their coupling with the isolated cavity quasi-modes is associated with reversible photon exchanges as represented via one photon Rabi frequencies. The standard model in cavity quantum electrodynamics, in which the basic processes are described by a cavity damping rate, a radiative atom spontaneous decay rate and an atom-cavity mode coupling constant has now been justified in terms of the quasi-mode theory of macroscopic canonical quantization.