Abstract

We study the time response of a quantum optical system to a step excitation. The system is composed of a collection of $N$ two-level atoms coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field of an optical cavity. The size of the step excitation is not limited to the low-intensity regime. Before the system reaches steady state there is an oscillatory exchange of energy between the atoms and the cavity. We compare the experimental results quantitatively with theoretical calculations and with previous transmission spectroscopy measurements.

© 1997 Optical Society of America

Observation of oscillatory energy exchange in a coupled-atom–cavity system

R. J. Brecha, L. A. Orozco, M. G. Raizen, Min Xiao, and H. J. Kimble
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 12(12) 2329-2339 (1995)

Cavity-damping-induced transitions in a driven atom–cavity system

Hyunchul Nha and Kyungwon An
Opt. Lett. 26(12) 923-925 (2001)

Traveling-wave atom–cavity interaction in the single-atom microlaser

K. An, R. R. Dasari, and M. S. Feld
Opt. Lett. 22(19) 1500-1502 (1997)

Collision-induced quantum effects in four-wave mixing in a high-Q cavity

R. R. Puri and Aditi Ray
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14(6) 1289-1294 (1997)

Dynamical hysteresis in a three-level atomic system

Amitabh Joshi, Wenge Yang, and Min Xiao
Opt. Lett. 30(8) 905-907 (2005)