Abstract

It is well known that observations on the statistics of the states of the outcoming atoms (|e〉, excited or |g〉, ground) have been used in attempts to infer the states (density matrix, ρ_f) of the quantised e.m. field inside the cavity of the one ⁸⁵Rb atom micromaser which otherwise cannot be determined [1]. Particularly [1] the ‘connection formula’ Q_– = ϵII_–Q_f(1 + 2Q_f) between variances Q_–, Q_f was derived by Rempe and Walther and used in their (1990) experiments [1]: $Q_{-}\equiv \left(〈N_{-}^2〉-{〈N_{-}〉}^2-〈N_{-}〉\right)/〈N_{-}〉$ for the numbers N_ of atoms detected in |g〉 (the 61D_5/2 state) at equilibrium in a fixed collection time t, II- is the probability of finding the atoms in |g〉, and ϵ is the detector efficiency (≈ 10 %): t ≥ 2T_c, with T_c the cavity damping time (T_c ≈ 0.2 sec). The Q_f is defined similarly for the numbers n of photons in the single resonant cavity mode; and Q_f> 0(< 0) super-Poissonian (sub-Poissonian) means Q_– > 0(< 0), and vice υersa.

© 1998 IEEE