Why material slow light does not improve cavity-enhanced atom detection

Balázs Megyeri; Andreas Lampis; Graeme Harvie; Robert Culver; Jonathan Goldwin

doi:10.1080/09500340.2017.1384512

Why material slow light does not improve cavity-enhanced atom detection

Balázs Megyeri, Andreas Lampis, Graeme Harvie, Robert Culver, Jonathan Goldwin^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

129 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We discuss the prospects for enhancing absorption and scattering of light from a weakly coupled atom in a high-finesse optical cavity by adding a medium with large, positive group index of refraction. The slow-light effect is known to narrow the cavity transmission spectrum and increase the photon lifetime, but the quality factor of the cavity may not be increased in a metrologically useful sense. Specifically, detection of the weakly coupled atom through either cavity ringdown measurements or the Purcell effect fails to improve with the addition of material slow light. A single-atom model of the dispersive medium helps elucidate why this is the case.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	185-191
Journal	Journal of Modern Optics
Volume	65
Issue number	2
Early online date	6 Oct 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/09500340.2017.1384512 https://doi.org/10.1080/09500340.2017.1384512
Publication status	Published - 30 Mar 2018

Keywords

Electromagnetically induced transparency
slow light
cavity quantum electrodynamics
cavity ringdown spectroscopy
Purcell effect

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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Megyeri_et_al_Why_material_slow_light_Journal_Modern_OpticsFinal published version, 1.16 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

PhD Student Balazs Megyeri - Dispersion Controlled Cold Atom Ring Laser for Precision Timing and Sensing
Goldwin, J. (Principal Investigator)
Defence and Science Technology Laboratory
1/10/14 → 30/09/18
Project: Other Government Departments

Cite this

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title = "Why material slow light does not improve cavity-enhanced atom detection",

abstract = "We discuss the prospects for enhancing absorption and scattering of light from a weakly coupled atom in a high-finesse optical cavity by adding a medium with large, positive group index of refraction. The slow-light effect is known to narrow the cavity transmission spectrum and increase the photon lifetime, but the quality factor of the cavity may not be increased in a metrologically useful sense. Specifically, detection of the weakly coupled atom through either cavity ringdown measurements or the Purcell effect fails to improve with the addition of material slow light. A single-atom model of the dispersive medium helps elucidate why this is the case.",

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AB - We discuss the prospects for enhancing absorption and scattering of light from a weakly coupled atom in a high-finesse optical cavity by adding a medium with large, positive group index of refraction. The slow-light effect is known to narrow the cavity transmission spectrum and increase the photon lifetime, but the quality factor of the cavity may not be increased in a metrologically useful sense. Specifically, detection of the weakly coupled atom through either cavity ringdown measurements or the Purcell effect fails to improve with the addition of material slow light. A single-atom model of the dispersive medium helps elucidate why this is the case.

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Why material slow light does not improve cavity-enhanced atom detection

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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PhD Student Balazs Megyeri - Dispersion Controlled Cold Atom Ring Laser for Precision Timing and Sensing

Cite this