A microscopic theory of laser has been presented by taking into consideration of the frequency pulling effect, when the laser light is enclosed in a Fabry-Perot resonator. On the basis of the microscopic theory, the validity of the average-field theory developed in the preceding paper has been discussed.
We develop a first-principles description of the mechanical effects of light on a single two-level atom in a Fabry-Perot interferometer. Our analysis is based on the plane-wave and semiclassical approximations, but within this context it yields general equations that include propagation effects and allow arbitrary parameters of the resonator. We then focus on the conditions under which the uniform field limit holds and derive an explicit expression for the cavity-induced force on the atom in the low saturation limit. We also provide a physical explanation of the role played by the resonator in slowing down or accelerating the atoms.
The spectrum of the cavity-QED microlaser or micromaser is expected to show distinctive features of the coherent light-matter interaction, which are obscured in the conventional Schawlow-Townes linewidth theory. However, the spectral studies have been limited to resonant atom-cavity interaction so far. Here we consider the dispersive interaction in the off-resonance case, from which we uncover a quantum frequency pulling effect in the microlaser or micromaser spectrum. We present a quantum theory of the spectrum which introduces the notion of a frequency-pulling distribution associated with the photon number. In contrast to the conventional laser, periodic variation of the mean frequency pulling is observed with increasing pump parameter and it is attributed to the strong atom-cavity coupling. The pulling distribution gives rise to a spectral broadening, which can be dominant over the nondispersive broadening addressed in the previous works. We also developed a corresponding semiclassical theory and discuss how the introduction of the frequency shift fits in with the extended quantum theory.
The processes of absorption and stimulated emission are investigated via (i) energy conservation in a Fabry-Perot resonator, (ii) the Lorentz-oscillator model, and (iii) the Kramers-Kronig relations. Vacuum fluctuations are added and the relation between stimulated and spontaneous emission is clarified. It is shown that previous models start from incorrect assumptions about the physical foundations of spontaneous emission. The non-orthogonality of longitudinal optical modes in a linear resonator is investigated and its consequences for the laser linewidth are discussed. Based on these results, a semi-classical approach to the laser linewidth below, around, and above the laser threshold which is consistent with resonator theory is presented. These results also shed new light on the usually considered linewidth-narrowing and -broadening factors.