Quantum correlations of an atomic ensemble via a classical bath

Somewhat surprisingly, quantum features can be extracted from a classical bath. For this, we discuss a sample of three-level atoms in ladder configuration interacting only via the surrounding bath, and show that the fluorescence light emitted by this system exhibits non-classical properties. Typical realizations for such an environment are thermal baths for microwave transition frequencies, or incoherent broadband fields for optical transitions. In a small sample of atoms, the emitted light can be switched from sub- to super-poissonian and from anti-bunching to super-bunching controlled by the mean number of atoms in the sample. Larger samples allow to generate super-bunched light over a wide range of bath parameters and thus fluorescence light intensities. We also identify parameter ranges where the fields emitted on the two transitions are correlated or anti-correlated, such that the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is violated. As in a moderately strong baths this violation occurs also for larger numbers of atoms, such samples exhibit mesoscopic quantum effects.Comment: 4 page

Positronium in intense laser fields

The dynamics and radiation of positronium is investigated in intense laser fields.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure

Comparison of classical and second quantized description of the dynamic Stark shift

We compare the derivation of the dynamic Stark shift of hydrogenic energy levels in a classical framework with an adiabatically damped laser-atom interaction, which is equivalent to the Gell-Mann-Low-Sucher formula, and a treatment based on time-independent perturbation theory, with a second-quantized laser-atom dipole interaction Hamiltonian. Our analysis applies to a laser that excites a two-photon transition in atomic hydrogen or in a hydrogenlike ion with low nuclear charge number. Our comparisons serve to demonstrate why the dynamic Stark shift may be interpreted as a stimulated radiative correction and illustrates connections between the two derivations. The simplest of the derivations is the fully quantized approach. The classical and the second-quantized treatment are shown to be equivalent in the limit of large photon numbers.Comment: 5 page

Spontaneous-emission suppression via multiphoton quantum interference

The spontaneous emission is investigated for an effective atomic two-level system in an intense coherent field with frequency lower than the vacuum-induced decay width. As this additional low-frequency field is assumed to be intense, multiphoton processes may be induced, which can be seen as alternative transition pathways in addition to the simple spontaneous decay. The interplay of the various interfering transition pathways influences the decay dynamics of the two-level system and may be used to slow down the spontaneous decay considerably. We derive from first principles an expression for the Hamiltonian including up to three-photon processes. This Hamiltonian is then applied to a quantum mechanical simulation of the decay dynamics of the two-level system. Finally, we discuss numerical results of this simulation based on a rubidium atom and show that the spontaneous emission in this system may be suppressed substantially.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, latest version with minor change

Double-EIT ground-state laser cooling without blue-sideband heating

We discuss a laser cooling scheme for trapped atoms or ions which is based on double electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and makes use of a four-level atom in tripod configuration. The additional fourth atomic state is coupled by a strong coupling laser field to the usual three-level setup of single-EIT cooling. This effectively allows to create two EIT structures in the absorption spectrum of the system to be cooled, which may be controlled by the coupling laser field parameters to cancel both the carrier- and the blue-sideband excitations. In leading order of the Lamb-Dicke expansion, this suppresses all heating processes. As a consequence, the double-EIT scheme can be used to lower the cooling limit by almost two powers of the Lamb-Dicke parameter as compared to single-EIT cooling.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Semi-classical limitations for photon emission in strong external fields

The semi-classical heuristic emission formula of Baier-Katkov [Sov. Phys. JETP \textbf{26}, 854 (1968)] is well-known to describe radiation of an ultrarelativistic electron in strong external fields employing the electron's classical trajectory. To find the limitations of the Baier-Katkov approach, we investigate electron radiation in a strong rotating electric field quantum mechanically using the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation. Except for an ultrarelativistic velocity, it is shown that an additional condition is required in order to recover the widely used semi-classical result. A violation of this condition leads to two consequences. First, it gives rise to qualitative discrepancy in harmonic spectra between the two approaches. Second, the quantum harmonic spectra are determined not only by the classical trajectory but also by the dispersion relation of the effective photons of the external field