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From Maser to Mazer
Author(s) -
Benson O.,
Weidinger M.,
Löffler M.,
Walther H.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
fortschritte der physik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.469
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1521-3978
pISSN - 0015-8208
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-3978(199811)46:6/8<809::aid-prop809>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - maser , physics , metastability , atomic physics , field (mathematics) , adiabatic process , photon , quantum mechanics , optics , mathematics , pure mathematics
In this paper we report on atomic interferometry in the micromaser. The experimentally observed interferences are due to the non‐adiabatic mixing of dressed states of the atoms at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity, leading to Ramsey‐type two‐field interaction. The observations are explained on the basis of the micromaser theory. Statistical properties of the maser field are investigated via a measurement of the statistics of the pump atoms that leave the maser cavity. Theoretical expressions for the time dependence of the Fano‐Mandel‐parameter Q A ( t ) are compared with the experimental data. We demonstrate, that metastability of the maser field and atomic interference strongly influence the approach to a steady state value of Q A ( t ). Furthermore, a theoretical investigation of a maser pumped with ultra‐cold atoms is discussed. The interplay between reflection and transmission events of the atoms leads to a photon emission probability that strongly depends on the quantized center‐of‐mass motion ( z ‐motion) of the atoms. We demonstrate that this mazer operation can be completely different from the ordinary maser pumped by a beam of thermal atoms.