Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

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Q: Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 38: Fallen & Kühlung I

Q 38.4: Talk

Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 12:00–12:15, HU 2002

Cavity QED zero-point fluctuations — •Karim Murr, Peter Maunz, Pepijn Pinkse, Thomas Puppe, and Gerhard Rempe — Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany

In the early days of laser cooling it was shown that an atom in free space, even in the internal ground state, will spread due to its interaction with a laser. This effect is a signature of the zero-point fluctuation of the atomic dipole coupled to the gradient of the radiation field.

We discuss how in a confined space such as in cavities, the zero-point fluctuation of the cavity field itself plays a crucial role that could dominate the fluctuation of the atomic dipole, in particular within a high-finesse optical cavity.

The power of our analysis relies on its simplicity; it provides a conceptual unification between free space and cavity diffusion at low saturation.