Atom-field interaction in optical cavities: Calibration of the atomic velocities to obtain a list of field states with preselected properties

Abstract

We investigate statistical properties of a single mode field that interacts with a two-level atom inside an optical cavity. The whole system is described by dispersive Jaynes–Cummings Hamiltonian, both subsystems starting from superpositions of two states. We consider properties of the field states only at the moment each atom is detected in the ground state immediately after it has crossed the cavity. This allows us to get a list of atomic velocities corresponding to field states with preselected properties. The scheme is exemplified for excitation inversion and sub-Poissonian statistics.