The effect of atomic number fluctuations on photon antibunching in resonance fluorescence

Abstract

It is suggested that the correct processing of data in a recent experiment of Kimble, Dagenais and Mande (1977) implies that the short-time value of the correlation function of photons emitted by a single atom in resonance fluorescence is zero. This result is found by firstly correcting an apparent error in the treatment of the background radiation and secondly by taking account of Poisson fluctuations in the number of radiating atoms.