P. Meystre

Squeezed states in the Jaynes-Cummings model

Abstract It is shown that squeezed states of the electromagnetic field are obtained in the Jaynes-Cummings model of an atomic transition coupled to a single mode, quantized electromagnetic field.

Classical theory of a free-electron laser☆

Abstract We present a completely classical analysis of the small-signal regime of a free-electron laser. It is explicitly shown that the amplification is due to stimulated scattering produced by a bunching of the electron distribution.

Very-low-temperature behavior of a micromaser

We show that at very low temperatures the steady-state photon statistics of the micromaser are stronglv influenced by the existence of trapping states. The resulting resonances are a true quantum effect resulting from the granulated character of the electromagnetic field.

A short walk through quantum optomechanics

This paper gives a brief review of the basic physics of quantum optomechanics and provides an overview of some of its recent developments and current areas of focus. It first outlines the basic theory of cavity optomechanical cooling and gives a brief status report of the experimental state-of-the-art. It then turns to the deep quantum regime of operation of optomechanical oscillators and covers selected aspects of quantum state preparation, control and characterization, including mechanical squeezing and pulsed optomechanics. This is followed by a discussion of the “bottom-up” approach that exploits ultracold atomic samples instead of nanoscale systems. It concludes with an outlook that concentrates largely on the functionalization of quantum optomechanical systems and their promise in metrology applications.

Quantum and semiclassical steady states of a kicked cavity mode

We investigate classically and quantum-mechanically the coherent interaction between a single mode of the electromagnetic field and a stream of two-level atoms under the assumptions that only one atom at a time is coupled to the field and that the interaction times are all equal. This is a quantum-optics analog of a coherently kicked harmonic oscillator. We find that the classical system always evolves toward a marginally stable steady state at the threshold of type-1 intermittency, independently of the initial state of inversion of the atoms. But there are infinitely many such steady states, and which one is reached may depend sensitively on the initial conditions. In contrast, in the case of inverted atoms the quantized system usually does not reach a steady state: The intrinsic quantum fluctuations of the field almost always force it eventually to grow past the classical fixed points. A notable exception occurs under conditions such that the sequence of inverted atoms injected into the cavity leads to the preparation of a highly excited Fock state of the cavity mode.

Theory of Superradiant Scattering of Laser Light from Bose-Einstein Condensates

In a recent MIT experiment, a new form of superradiant Rayleigh scattering was observed in Bose-Einstein condensates. We present a detailed theory of this phenomena in which the directional dependence of the scattering rate and condensate depletion lead to mode competition which is ultimately responsible for superradiance. The nonlinear response of the system is highly sensitive to initial quantum fluctuations which cause large run to run variations in the observed superradiant pulses.

Theory of radiation-pressure-driven interferometers

We review the theory of optical interferometers in which a light mirror is suspended to swing as a pendulum and can therefore respond to radiation-pressure forces. The basic principles are elaborated on by considering a two-mirror system, and optical bistability and mirror confinement are predicted. A three-mirror system is also described that is capable of producing a far higher level of mirror confinement. White- and ground-noise analyses are given.

Critical slowing down in optical bistability

Abstract The role of critical slowing down in optical bistability is discussed, taking fully into account the non-linear effects. In particular, we show that the critical slowing down may lead to interesting novel applications, such as compact optical delay lines and electric field to time converters.

Enhancement of the Sagnac effect due to nonlinearly induced nonreciprocity.

We propose a novel way to enhance the Sagnac effect by using a nonlinear ring interferometer. Specifically, we take advantage of the nonlinearly induced nonreciprocity of counterpropagating waves caused by the formation of an index grating in the nonlinear medium.

On the Use of the Mean-Field Theory in Optical Bistability

Abstract The validity of the mean-field approximation in the theory of optical bistability is discussed. We show that major deviations from its predictions may occur if the mirrorreflectivity is decreased below a value which is strongly dependent on the bistability parameter C , and if the absorption α L is larger than a value weakly dependent on C (α L ⪆4).