Optical cavity QED

Luis A. Orozco
Joint Quantum Institute
Department of Physics
Lecture 1: Atoms in cavities
Cavity QED group:
Collaborators:
Present students (2007):
Prof. Howard Carmichael, University of
David Norris
Auckland, New Zealand.
Rebecca Olson Knell
Prof. James Clemens, Miami University.
Basudev Roy
Prof. Julio Gea Banacloche, University of
Michael Scholten
Arkansas.
Prof. Perry Rice, Miami University.
Undergraduate (2007)
Prof. Howard Wiseman, Griffith
Eric Cahoon
University, Brisbane, Australia.
Postdocs:
Visitors: Nicolas Leuillot, France, Jin
Dr. Daniela Manoel
Wang Australia, Stefan Kuhr Germany,
Dr. Daniel Freimund
Arturo Fernandez, Chile.
Dr. Jietai Jing
Sociedad Mexicana de Fisica (summer
Past members of my group:
experience for undergraduates).
Dr. Juergen Gripp
Gabriel Ramos, Manuel de la Cruz,
Dr. Stephen Mielke
Salvador Hernandez, Monserrat Bizarro,
Dr. Gregory Foster
Edgar Vigil, Adonis Reyes.
Dr. Wade Smith
Dr. Joseph Reiner
Supported by NSF and NIST
Dr. Matthew Terraciano
 Coupled atoms and cavities:

Drive Output

Collection of N Two level atoms coupled to a single mode of

the electromagnetic field. This is a far from equilibrium
system. Driven with dissipation (atoms γ, cavity κ).

Microwaves Visible light

Micromaser Optical Bistability

Cavity QED
 Absorptive Element
• A saturable absorber (an atom) has an absorption
coefficient which is a non-linear function of I:
αo
α=
1+ I / Is
where I s is the saturation intensity
• The cavity is setup for resonance.
• At small intensities, the absorption due to the
element is high and the output is low.
• As the intensity is increase beyond Is, the
absorption rapidly decreases and the output goes
to high.
 The field inside the cavity comes from the addition
of the drive and what is already there

− αl
Let ε n +1 ( 0 ) = T E I + Re e iKL
ε n (0)
Where ε n+1 is the electric field after the n+1+ path around
the cavity, L is the round-trip length, α is the absorption
coefficient and R=1-T the mirror reflectivity

T T
EI, II ET, IT
non-linear
ε(0)
l

100 % 100 %
• At steady state the electric field inside the cavity
must be constant so that ε n +1 (0) = ε n (0) = ε 0
∴ ε 0 = T E1 + Re −αl eiKLε 0
T EI
rearanging this gives : ε 0 =
(1 − Re −αl +iKL )
• The output field is given by the mirror transmittance
times the internal electric field at a distance l.
ET = T ε (l ) = T ε o e ( −α +iK ) l
• combining these gives the
amplitude transmission function :
ET Te iK (l − L )
= αl −iKL
EI e −R
 Absorptive Bistability
A saturable absorber, at resonance has an absorption
coefficient which is a non-linear function of I:
αo
α=
1+ I / Is
where I s is the saturation intensity
Ignoring the phase term in the numerator and
assuming that αl<<1 so that e-αl~1-αl, gives:
Te iK (l − L ) ET 1
ET
= αl −iKL =
EI e −R E I 1 + αl / T

3 2 N
α 0 = σρ = λ
2π Al
 IT
using I = leads to :
T
⎡ α ol / T ⎤
EI = ET ⎢1 + ⎥
⎣ 1 + I T / I s ⎦
T

The ratio of losses: atomic losses per round trip (αl)

to cavity losses per round trip (T) is important
Cooperativity α ol
C=
T

EI ET
with y = ; and x = :
Is TI s
⎡ 2C ⎤ 2Cx
y = x ⎢1 + 2⎥
;x= y−
⎣ 1 + x ⎦ 1 + x 2
 Atomic Polarization
-2Cx
y 1+x2

x
Drive

Transmission
What do we expect on resonance for the normalized
fields (x,y) and the normalized intensities (X,Y)?

For low intensity, the input and the output are

linearly related,
X 1
y = x (1+2C) ; Y=X(1+2C)2 =
Y (1 + 2C )2

y = x (1+2C)

X 4C
For very high intensity,
= 1+
Y Y
y = x ; Y=X +4C
 ⎡ 2C ⎤
y = x ⎢1 + 2⎥
⎣ 1+ x ⎦
At intermediate intensity, there can be saturation, there is the
possibility of a phase transition. It happens in this simple model for
the case of C>4. C (Cooperativity) is the negative of the laser pump
paramenter. It is the ratio of the atomic losses to the cavity losses or
also can be read as the ratio between atom-cavity coupling (g) and
the dissipation (κ,γ).

The slope of the output x as a function of input y may be zero!

Input-Output response of the atoms-cavity system for two different
cooperativities C=0 is with no atoms, C=60 has plenty of atoms, with a drive
that can saturate them and we recover the linear relationship with unit slope
between Y and X. The hysteresis is clearly visible.
 Typical system for optical experiments.

g
= 4.7 MHz up to 12 MHz
2π

κ = 3.6 MHz γ
= 6.0 MHz
2π 2π
Dipole coupling between the atom d ⋅ Ev
and the cavity. g=
η

The dipole matrix element between two states is fixed by the

properties of the states (radial part) and the Clebsh-Gordon
coefficients from the angular part of the integral. It is of the
order of a few times a0 (Bohr radius) times the electron charge e
ρ ρ
d = e 5S1/ 2 r 5P3 / 2

ηω
The field of one photon in a Ev =
cavity with Volume Veff is: 2ε 0Veff

The electric field squared is an energy density.

 Single atom Cooperativity (measures the effect of one atom):
2
g
C1 =
κγ
Saturation photon number (measures the effect of one photon):

n0 =
γ 2

2
3g
Cooperativity (for N atoms): is the ratio
of the atomic losses to the cavity losses C =C N =
α 0 l
or also can be read as the ratio between 1
the good coupling (g) and the dissipation T
(κ,γ).
 Are the two definitions equivalent?

g 2
1 d ηω
2
d ω 2
C1 = ; g2 = 2 =
κγ η 2ε 0V 2ηε 0 Al
c 4ω d 3 2
κ = T; γ = 2
2l 3 c 4πε 0ηc
α 0l
3 2 N σρl
C = C1 N = = = λ
T T 2π AT

RATIO OF TWO AREAS

Dipole coupling between the atom d ⋅ Ev
and the cavity. g=
η

The dipole matrix element between two states is fixed by the

properties of the states (radial part) and the Clebsh-Gordon
coefficients from the angular part of the integral. It is of the
order of a few times a0 (Bohr radius) times the electron charge e
ρ ρ
d = e 5S1/ 2 r 5P3 / 2

ηω
The field of one photon in a Ev =
cavity with Volume Veff is: 2ε 0Veff

The electric field squared is an energy density.

To reach the strong coupling regime in the optical regime it is
necessary to make the coupling between the atoms and the cavity g
larger than the decay avenues of the system (cavity κ) or (atoms γ).

The way to achieve this is making g larger, in the optical regime, by

making the volume smaller. For microwaves, make R closer to
unity.

However this increases linearly the decay of the cavity, as it

depends on the length L of the cavity but also on the reflectivity R,
keeping other losses low, such that R+T=1

κ = (1 − R ) = T
c c
2l 2l
 Formulation of the problem: 1.- Free evolution of cavity mode and atoms,
2.- Coupling atom-cavity, 3.- Decay of atoms (reservoir), 4.- Decay of cavity
field (reservoir), 5.- Drive of the cavity

Use this Hamiltonian to find the equations of motion of the field <a>, the atomic
polarization <σ+>, and atomic inversion <σz>. We assume N atoms distributed at
the positions rj in the mode of the cavity.
Maxwell Bloch Equations are then:
 State Equation of Optical Bistability, (Cavity QED).

y is the normalized input field y=E/ n01/2, it is the field

inside the cavity with no atoms.
x is the normalized output field x=<a>/n01/2 , it is the field
inside the cavity with atoms.
∆ is the normalized atomic detuning ∆=(ωatom−ωlaser)/γ/2.
θ is the normalized cavity detuning θ=(ωcavity−ωlaser)/κ.

This equation makes explicit that the phase of the input and
output fields need not be the same.
Constructive interference happens when the phase is zero.
Transmission of light of
different frequencies close to
resonance and phase delay for
atoms alone

Transmission of light of
different frequencies close to
resonance and phase delay for
cavity alone

Transmission of light of different

frequencies close to resonance
and phase delay for atoms and
cavity combined. Note that the
peaks happen where the phase
crosses zero.
The transmission in the low intensity limit can
be written in the following form to stress the
two normal modes present:
 We are going to probe the eigenvalue structure of the system:

The first excited state is split from the coupling between

atoms and cavity so the energy levels are:

In the spectroscopy we should see two peaks corresponding to the

two possible transitions between the ground state and the excited
states. There is no difference using the Maxwell Bloch or the full
Hamiltonian.
Some experimental considerations:

The atoms are optically pumped into the highest m sublevel of

the F=3 ground state of 85Rb.

The atomic beam is highly collimated and is perpendicular to the

mode of the cavity.

The cavity can have a Finesse above 104.

 Transmission spectroscopy of atoms-cavity system.

This is a way to probe the normal modes and see the eigenvalue
structure of the system.

For low intensity, we have two coupled harmonic oscillators: The

cavity mode and the polarization of the atoms (neglect any atomic
inversion). We can observe the so-called Vacuum Rabi peaks.

For high intensity, the atoms saturate and so one only sees the Fabry
Perot fringe from the cavity.

For intermediate intensity, we have two anharmonic coupled

oscillators that show frequency hysteresis.
Experimental apparatus to study the transmission spectra of the atom cavity system.
Transmission Spectra at low intensity for different atomic
detunings. Note the Vacuum Rabi peaks and the “avoided crossing”
of the two coupled modes.
Calculation of the low intensity transmission spectra for
different atomic detunings
Transmission spectra for different intensities no detuning, C=78.
Input-Output hysteresis curve for the parameters of the transmission spectroscopy,
indicating qhere the different behavior appears. (a) Vacuum Rabi peaks, (b)
anharmonic oscillator, (c) broanened single peak, and (d) Fabry Perot resonance
with the atoms saturated.
Theoretical calculation of the transmission spectra as a
function of the driving intensity.
Hysteresis of the light from the coupled atoms-cavity system. Two different scans
with equal input intensities are shown. Filled circles mark the scans with increasing
laser frequency; open circles mark scans with decreasing laser frequency. The lines
are theoretical calculations from a semiclassical theory.