Induced Emission due to the Quantized Motion of Ultracold Atoms Passing through a Micromaser Cavity

Abstract

The abrupt change in the atom-field coupling strength which an atom experiences upon passing into and out of a micromaser cavity leads to changes in the atomic center-of-mass motion. For fast (thermal) atoms, small momentum changes give rise to stimulated emission. Very slow (laser-cooled) atoms, however, can be reflected from or tunnel through the cavity, and in the process undergo a new kind of induced emission. This changes the photon statistics of the micromaser completely. Resonances occur for particular values of the interaction length.