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arXiv:quant-ph/0003090 · Physical Review A

Cavity implementation of quantum interference in a Λ -type atom

Peng Zhou

Published Jan 12, 2001• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A scheme for engineering quantum interference in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type atom coupled to a frequency-tunable, single-mode cavity field with a preselected polarization at finite temperature is proposed. Interference-assisted population trapping, population inversions, and probe gain at one sideband of the Autler-Townes spectrum are predicted for certain cavity resonant frequencies.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.63.023810

Related papers

Interference-induced gain in the Autler-Townes doublet of a V-type atom in a cavity

Peng Zhou, S. Swain, Li You

We study the Autler-Townes spectrum of a V-type atom coupled to a single-mode, frequency-tunable cavity field at finite temperature, with a pre-selected polarization in the bad cavity limit, and show that, when the mean number of thermal photons $N\ensuremath{\gg}1$ and the excited sublevel splitting is very large (of the same order as the cavity linewidth), probe gain may occur at either sideband of the doublet, depending on the cavity frequency, due to cavity-induced quantum interference. It is also possible to choose the cavity detuning so that one of the Autler-Townes sidebands vanishes.

arXiv:quant-ph/0004001•Physical Review A•Feb 15, 2001•13 citations

Comment on “Interference-induced gain in the Autler-Townes doublet of a V-type atom in a cavity” and “Cavity implementation of quantum interference in a Λ-type atom”

R. Arun

In a couple of papers [Phys. Rev. A, 63, 033818 (2001); 63, 023810 (2001)], P. Zhou, S. Swain, and L. You studied the cavity-induced modifications to the Autler-Townes spectrum of three-level atoms due to the phenomenon of quantum interference. They demonstrated that probe gain can occur in either of the Autler-Townes doublet due to the cavity-induced interference among spontaneous decay channels. In this Comment, we show that this conclusion is incorrect and it contradicts the thermodynamic equilibrium conditions of the atomic system in steady state.

Physical Review A•Jun 9, 2006•0 citations

Population Inversion of a V-type Three-Level Atom due to the Effect of Cavity-Induced Quantum Interference

Gao‐xiang Li, PENG JIN-SHENG, Wu Shao-Ping +1 more

A cavity-modified master equation is derived for a coherently driven V-type three-level atom coupled to a single-mode cavity in the bad cavity limit. The influences of the cavity-induced quantum interference on the steady-state populations are analysed. We show that the population inversion can occur due to the effect of cavity-induced quantum interference. PACS: 42. 50. Dv, 42. 50. Gy

Chinese Physics Letters•Dec 13, 2000•13 citations

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We investigate quantum interference and classical-interference effects when three-level atoms in the ``$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$'' or ``V'' configuration interact with both a cavity-field mode and an external driving field mode. We describe electromagnetically induced transparency ($\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration), as well as a ``field-induced transparency'' (V configuration), and we go beyond the weak cavity-field studies of previous papers by utilizing a Heisenberg-picture density matrix approach. We find that under certain circumstances the cavity field evolves to be equal in magnitude to, but $180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ out of phase with, the external pump field when the pump-field frequency equals the cavity frequency, a surprising effect found in two-level atoms in a cavity excited by an external pump field that persists in three-level atoms. The better the cavity, the quicker this buildup occurs. When the cavity field reaches this ``out-of-phase'' condition, the resonance fluorescence from the atom in the cavity goes to zero. This is a purely classical-interference effect between the two out-of-phase fields, with the resonance fluorescence going to zero at the same time as the two excited state populations go to zero. This is quite different from the quantum interference that occurs under the right circumstances when the state populations are coherently driven into a linear combination that is decoupled from any applied field and population is trapped in the excited states (``coherent population trapping''). When the cavity frequency is tuned to the frequency at which quantum interference would occur, the two interference effects compete with each other. The cavity field begins to evolve toward the $180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ out-of-phase condition, thereby approaching a classical destructive interference condition with the pump field. Then at some point before 100% classical interference occurs, depending on the cavity damping rate and atom/cavity coupling strength, the atom builds up its coherence between state populations to produce the quantum interference effect. At that point, the atom becomes transparent and resonance fluorescence disappears, including fluorescence into the cavity, thereby causing the cavity field to die away.

Physical Review A•Jun 11, 2009•17 citations

Dynamics of a driven two-level atom coupled to a frequency-tunable cavity

Peng Zhou, S. Swain

A cavity-modified master equation is derived for a coherently driven two-level atom coupled to a single-mode cavity in the bad cavity limit, in which the cavity frequency is tuned to either the center or one of the sidebands of the Mollow triplet. The atomic populations in both the bare- and dressed-state representations are analyzed in terms of the cavity-modified transition rates. In the bare-state basis, the role of the cavity may be interpreted as enhancing the stimulated absorption of the atom while suppressing the stimulated emission. The bare-state population may thus be inverted under appropriate conditions. The dressed-state inversion, however, originates from the enhancement of the atom-cavity interaction when the cavity is resonant with the atomic dressed-state transition. We show that two-phase quadratures of the atomic polarization decay at different rates. The decay of the in-phase (or out-of-phase) quadrature may be greatly inhibited as the driving intensity increases, depending on the cavity resonant frequency. The spectrum of the atomic fluorescence emitted out the side of the cavity is also studied. The spectral profiles are sensitive to the cavity frequency. When the cavity frequency is tuned to the center of the Mollow resonances, the fluorescence spectrum is symmetrical with three peaks whose linewidths and heights are intensity dependent. When the cavity frequency is tuned to one of the Mollow sidebands, however, it is asymmetric, and the central peak and the sideband on resonance with the cavity can be significantly suppressed for strong driving fields. All three spectral lines can be narrowed by increasing the Rabi frequency. The physics of these striking spectral features is explored in the dressed-state basis. We also investigate the probe absorption spectrum. When the cavity frequency is tuned to the center of the Mollow fluorescence triplet, the central component exhibits a Lorentzian line shape, while the side bands show the Rayleigh-wing line shape. Probe gain may occur at line center due to cavity-induced, bare-state population inversion. When the cavity is tuned to resonance with one sideband, only two sidebands, with Lorentzian profiles, dominate. Gain can occur at the sideband far off resonant with the cavity. The sideband gain is a consequence of an unbalanced dressed-state population distribution.

Physical Review A•Aug 1, 1998•35 citations

Cavity quantum electrodynamics with quantum interference in a three-level atomic system

Amitabh Joshi, Min Xiao

Quantum interference and enhanced dispersion in three-level atoms (V-type) inside an optical cavity interacting with a single mode field can substantially reduce radiative and cavity decay rates to eliminate the use of miniaturized cavity.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2004•0 citations
A scheme for engineering quantum interference in a \ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ-type atom coupled to a frequency-tunable, single-mode cavity field with a preselected polarization at finite temperature is proposed. Interference-assisted population trapping, population inversions, and probe gain at one sideband of the Autler-Townes spectrum are predicted for certain cavity resonant frequencies.
We study the Autler-Townes spectrum of a V-type atom coupled to a single-mode, frequency-tunable cavity field at finite temperature, with a pre-selected polarization in the bad cavity limit, and show that, when the mean number of thermal photons $N\ensuremath{\gg}1$ and the excited sublevel splitting is very large (of the same order as the cavity linewidth), probe gain may occur at either sideband of the doublet, depending on the cavity frequency, due to cavity-induced quantum interference. It is also possible to choose the cavity detuning so that one of the Autler-Townes sidebands vanishes.
In a couple of papers [Phys. Rev. A, 63, 033818 (2001); 63, 023810 (2001)], P. Zhou, S. Swain, and L. You studied the cavity-induced modifications to the Autler-Townes spectrum of three-level atoms due to the phenomenon of quantum interference. They demonstrated that probe gain can occur in either of the Autler-Townes doublet due to the cavity-induced interference among spontaneous decay channels. In this Comment, we show that this conclusion is incorrect and it contradicts the thermodynamic equilibrium conditions of the atomic system in steady state.
We investigate quantum interference and classical-interference effects when three-level atoms in the ``$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$'' or ``V'' configuration interact with both a cavity-field mode and an external driving field mode. We describe electromagnetically induced transparency ($\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration), as well as a ``field-induced transparency'' (V configuration), and we go beyond the weak cavity-field studies of previous papers by utilizing a Heisenberg-picture density matrix approach. We find that under certain circumstances the cavity field evolves to be equal in magnitude to, but $180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ out of phase with, the external pump field when the pump-field frequency equals the cavity frequency, a surprising effect found in two-level atoms in a cavity excited by an external pump field that persists in three-level atoms. The better the cavity, the quicker this buildup occurs. When the cavity field reaches this ``out-of-phase'' condition, the resonance fluorescence from the atom in the cavity goes to zero. This is a purely classical-interference effect between the two out-of-phase fields, with the resonance fluorescence going to zero at the same time as the two excited state populations go to zero. This is quite different from the quantum interference that occurs under the right circumstances when the state populations are coherently driven into a linear combination that is decoupled from any applied field and population is trapped in the excited states (``coherent population trapping''). When the cavity frequency is tuned to the frequency at which quantum interference would occur, the two interference effects compete with each other. The cavity field begins to evolve toward the $180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ out-of-phase condition, thereby approaching a classical destructive interference condition with the pump field. Then at some point before 100% classical interference occurs, depending on the cavity damping rate and atom/cavity coupling strength, the atom builds up its coherence between state populations to produce the quantum interference effect. At that point, the atom becomes transparent and resonance fluorescence disappears, including fluorescence into the cavity, thereby causing the cavity field to die away.
A cavity-modified master equation is derived for a coherently driven two-level atom coupled to a single-mode cavity in the bad cavity limit, in which the cavity frequency is tuned to either the center or one of the sidebands of the Mollow triplet. The atomic populations in both the bare- and dressed-state representations are analyzed in terms of the cavity-modified transition rates. In the bare-state basis, the role of the cavity may be interpreted as enhancing the stimulated absorption of the atom while suppressing the stimulated emission. The bare-state population may thus be inverted under appropriate conditions. The dressed-state inversion, however, originates from the enhancement of the atom-cavity interaction when the cavity is resonant with the atomic dressed-state transition. We show that two-phase quadratures of the atomic polarization decay at different rates. The decay of the in-phase (or out-of-phase) quadrature may be greatly inhibited as the driving intensity increases, depending on the cavity resonant frequency. The spectrum of the atomic fluorescence emitted out the side of the cavity is also studied. The spectral profiles are sensitive to the cavity frequency. When the cavity frequency is tuned to the center of the Mollow resonances, the fluorescence spectrum is symmetrical with three peaks whose linewidths and heights are intensity dependent. When the cavity frequency is tuned to one of the Mollow sidebands, however, it is asymmetric, and the central peak and the sideband on resonance with the cavity can be significantly suppressed for strong driving fields. All three spectral lines can be narrowed by increasing the Rabi frequency. The physics of these striking spectral features is explored in the dressed-state basis. We also investigate the probe absorption spectrum. When the cavity frequency is tuned to the center of the Mollow fluorescence triplet, the central component exhibits a Lorentzian line shape, while the side bands show the Rayleigh-wing line shape. Probe gain may occur at line center due to cavity-induced, bare-state population inversion. When the cavity is tuned to resonance with one sideband, only two sidebands, with Lorentzian profiles, dominate. Gain can occur at the sideband far off resonant with the cavity. The sideband gain is a consequence of an unbalanced dressed-state population distribution.