Abstract

The majority of studies of quantum optical processes occurring in atoms interacting with modified reservoirs, such as microcavities and photonic band gap materials [1], have concentrated on spontaneous emission dynamics. In this paper we report our recent theoretical results on absorption and dispersion dynaamics of a Λ-type system where one transition spontaneously decays in a two band photonic reservoir. The coupling to this modified reservoir leads to a non-Markovian spontaneous decay of the atomic state, which in return influences the dispersion and absorption properties of a probe laser pulse coupling to the other atomic transition.

© 2000 IEEE