Abstract

Cavity QED is the study of the interaction between one or a few atoms or electrons and the tailored electromagnetic environments that can be realized, e.g., in optical or microwave cavities. This tutorial gives a broad review of this field, illustrating how it impacts our understanding of the transition from truly microscopic to macroscopic dynamics in light-matter interactions, as well as challenges our conventional (ensemble average) interpretation of quantum mechanics.

© 1989 Optical Society of America