INDUCED EMISSION OF COLD ATOMS PASSING THROUGH A MICROMASER CAVITY: SPATIAL DEPENDENCE

Abstract

The emission probability of a cold atom in a microcavity when its center-of-mass motion is described quantum mechanically is presented, but is distinguished from other treatments by the inclusion of the spatial variation along the cavity axis. In particular, the mesa mode cavity profile is considered. The quantum theory of the one-photon mazer is constructed in the framework of the dressed-state coordinate formalism. Simple expressions for the atomic populations, the cavity photon statistics, and the reflection and transmission probabilities are given for any initial state of the atom-field system. The general conclusions reached are illustrated by numerical results.