dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaA multiple-scattering approach to interatomic interactions and superradiance in inhomogeneous dielectrics
| Authors | Martijn Wubs, L. G. Suttorp, A. Lagendijk |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0409115 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0409115 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevA.70.053823 |
| Journal | Phys. Rev. A 70, 053823 (2004) |
Abstract
The dynamics of a collection of resonant atoms embedded inside an inhomogeneous nondispersive and lossless dielectric is described with a dipole Hamiltonian that is based on a canonical quantization theory. The dielectric is described macroscopically by a position-dependent dielectric function and the atoms as microscopic harmonic oscillators. We identify and discuss the role of several types of Green tensors that describe the spatio-temporal propagation of field operators. After integrating out the atomic degrees of freedom, a multiple-scattering formalism emerges in which an exact Lippmann-Schwinger equation for the electric field operator plays a central role. The equation describes atoms as point sources and point scatterers for light. First, single-atom properties are calculated such as position-dependent spontaneous-emission rates as well as differential cross sections for elastic scattering and for resonance fluorescence. Secondly, multi-atom processes are studied. It is shown that the medium modifies both the resonant and the static parts of the dipole-dipole interactions. These interatomic interactions may cause the atoms to scatter and emit light cooperatively. Unlike in free space, differences in position-dependent emission rates and radiative line shifts influence cooperative decay in the dielectric. As a generic example, it is shown that near a partially reflecting plane there is a sharp transition from two-atom superradiance to single-atom emission as the atomic positions are varied.
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"abstract": "The dynamics of a collection of resonant atoms embedded inside an\ninhomogeneous nondispersive and lossless dielectric is described with a dipole\nHamiltonian that is based on a canonical quantization theory. The dielectric is\ndescribed macroscopically by a position-dependent dielectric function and the\natoms as microscopic harmonic oscillators. We identify and discuss the role of\nseveral types of Green tensors that describe the spatio-temporal propagation of\nfield operators. After integrating out the atomic degrees of freedom, a\nmultiple-scattering formalism emerges in which an exact Lippmann-Schwinger\nequation for the electric field operator plays a central role. The equation\ndescribes atoms as point sources and point scatterers for light. First,\nsingle-atom properties are calculated such as position-dependent\nspontaneous-emission rates as well as differential cross sections for elastic\nscattering and for resonance fluorescence. Secondly, multi-atom processes are\nstudied. It is shown that the medium modifies both the resonant and the static\nparts of the dipole-dipole interactions. These interatomic interactions may\ncause the atoms to scatter and emit light cooperatively. Unlike in free space,\ndifferences in position-dependent emission rates and radiative line shifts\ninfluence cooperative decay in the dielectric. As a generic example, it is\nshown that near a partially reflecting plane there is a sharp transition from\ntwo-atom superradiance to single-atom emission as the atomic positions are\nvaried.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0409115",
"authors": [
"Martijn Wubs",
"L. G. Suttorp",
"A. Lagendijk"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevA.70.053823",
"journal_ref": "Phys. Rev. A 70, 053823 (2004)",
"title": "A multiple-scattering approach to interatomic interactions and superradiance in inhomogeneous dielectrics",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0409115"
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