Emission probability and photonstatistics of a coherently driven mazer

Abstract

The idea of a mazer is put forward with particular reference tothe question of the driving-induced atomic coherence, which isestablished by a coherent driving field. The interaction of aquantum cavity field and an ultracold V-type three-level atom inwhich two levels are coupled by a coherent driving field, isderived. Its general quantum theory is established and theatomic emission probability and photon statistics are calculatedand analysed. It is found that the mazer based on thisdriving-induced atomic coherence shows new features. There is anon-vanishing probability for the atom emitting a photon in thecavity even when the resonance condition is not fulfilled (herethe resonance condition means that the cavity length is aninteger multiple of half the atomic de Broglie wavelength). Under the resonance condition, the atomic emission probabilityhas two sets of resonance peaks. For a very strong coherentdriving field, the emission of the atom can be forbidden. As tothe photon statistics, when the driving field is not verystrong, the driving-induced atomic coherence reduces the photonnumber fluctuations of the cavity field. The photon statisticsexhibits strong sub-Poissonian behaviour. In the region considered here,it can even be sub-Poissonian for any cavity length. However,when the driving field is too strong, the sub-Poissonianproperty may disappear.