Abstract

An algebraic solution to the problem of atomic damping by a sqeezed vacuum is presented. The master equation is solved by exploiting its formal similarity with the S-matrix equation and using group theoretical techniques. The solution is expressed in terms of elementary functions, allowing a wide range of parameters to be studied. This method allows us to calculate quantites such as expectation values and variances without solving many coupled differential equations. The effects of several physical parameters, such as the number of thermal photons and the magnitude and phase of the squeezing parameter, are illustrated graphically. In particular, we find that it does not seem to be possible to get squeezing in one of the quadratures nor to get minimum-uncertainty squeezing.

© 1992 Optical Society of America