Optical Dipole Noise of Two-Level Atoms

A. M. Bacon, H. Z. Zhao, L. J. Wang +1 more

A. M. Bacon, H. Z. Zhao, L. J. Wang +1 more

We measure phase-dependent optical noise spectra for a simple system: long-lived coherently driven two-level atoms in an atomic beam. Very different noise spectra are measured for radiation which is in phase and out of phase with the driving field. The spectra and corresponding analysis afford clear insights into the roles played by three distinct sources of atomic noise. The measured noise spectra are in good agreement in magnitude and shape with results of a quantum treatment using no free parameters.

Alexander V. Gorokhov, Vitalii Semin

The radiation line profile for two identical dipole-dipole interacting two-level atoms in an external laser field is calculated. The stochastic component of the laser radiation is explicitly taken into account simulating it by the optical white noise. An explicit analytical expression for the radiation line profile is found for the case where the regular field component can be neglected.

R. C. Harney

V. E. Lembessis, Koray Köksal, J. Yuan +1 more

We consider the optical dipole potential energy, which arises from the interaction of a two-level atom with a circularly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian laser beam of small waist. The beam is characterized by the existence of a longitudinal electric field component which is responsible for the appearance of a chiral term in the optical dipole potential energy. This term reverses sign if either the winding number or the wave polarization of the beam reverses sign. We propose a scheme of a bi-chromatic vortex interaction with the two-level atom in which the resulting optical dipole potential is fully chiral.

Brian K. Garside