No Arabic abstract
The classical and quantum representations of thermal equilibrium are strikingly different, even for free, non-interacting particles. While the first involves particles with well-defined positions and momenta, the second usually involves energy eigenstates that are delocalized over a confining volume. In this paper, we derive convex decompositions of the density operator for non-interacting, non-relativistic particles in thermal equilibrium that allow for a connection between these two descriptions. Associated with each element of the decomposition of the N-particle thermal state is an N-body wave function, described as a set of wave packets; the distribution of the average positions and momenta of the wave packets can be linked to the classical description of thermal equilibrium, while the different amplitudes in the wave function capture the statistics relevant for fermions or bosons.
The problems of cavity atom optics in the presence of an external strong coherent field are formulated as the problems of potential scattering of doubly-dressed atomic wave packets. Two types of potentials produced by various multiphoton Raman processes in a high-finesse cavity are examined. As an application the deflection of dressed atomic wave by a cavity mode is investigated. New momentum distribution of the atoms is derived that depends from the parameters of coherent field as well as photon states in the cavity.
The interaction between matter and squeezed light has mostly been treated within the approximation that the field correlation time is small. Methods for treating squeezed light with more general correlations currently involve explicitly modeling the systems producing the light. We develop a general purpose input-output theory for a particular form of narrowband squeezed light -- a squeezed wave-packet mode -- that only cares about the statistics of the squeezed field and the shape of the wave packet. This formalism allows us to derive the input-output relations and the master equation. We also consider detecting the scattered field using photon counting and homodyne measurements which necessitates the derivation of the stochastic master equation. The non Markovian nature of the field manifests itself in the master equation as a coupled hierarchy of equations. We illustrate these with consequences for the decay and resonance fluorescence of two-level atoms in the presence of such fields.
We analyse a little known aspect of the Klein paradox. A Klein-Gordon boson appears to be able to cross a supercritical rectangular barrier without being reflected, while spending there a negative amount of time. The transmission mechanism is demonstrably acausal, yet an attempt to construct the corresponding causal solution of the Klein-Gordon equation fails. We relate the causal solution to a divergent multiple-reflections series, and show that the problem is remedied for a smooth barrier, where pair production at the energy equal to a half of the barriers height is enhanced yet remains finite.
Non dispersive electronic Rydberg wave packets may be created in atoms illuminated by a microwave field of circular polarization. We discuss the spontaneous emission from such states and show that the elastic incoherent component (occuring at the frequency of the driving field) dominates the spectrum in the semiclassical limit, contrary to earlier predictions. We calculate the frequencies of single photon emissions and the associated rates in the harmonic approximation, i.e. when the wave packet has approximately a Gaussian shape. The results agree well with exact quantum mechanical calculations, which validates the analytical approach.
We demonstrate the possibility of realizing sub-Planck-scale structures in the mesoscopic superposition of molecular wave packets involving vibrational levels. The time evolution of the wave packet, taken here as the SU(2) coherent state of the Morse potential describing hydrogen iodide molecules, produces macroscopicquantum- superposition-like states, responsible for the above phenomenon. We investigate the phase-space dynamics of the coherent state through the Wigner function approach and identify the interference phenomena behind the sub-Planck-scale structures. The optimal parameter ranges are specified for observing these features.