Self-generated cooperative light emission induced by atomic recoil

J. Javaloyes, M. Perrin, G. L. Lippi, and A. Politi
Phys. Rev. A 70, 023405 – Published 13 August 2004

Abstract

The interaction of an atomic gas confined inside a cavity containing a strong electromagnetic field is numerically and theoretically investigated in a regime where recoil effects are not negligible. The spontaneous appearance of a density grating (atomic bunching) accompanied by the onset of a coherent, back-propagating electromagnetic wave is found to be ruled by a continuous phase transition. Numerical tests allow us to convincingly prove that the transition is steered by the appearence of a periodic atomic density modulation. Consideration of different experimental relaxation mechanisms induces us to analyze the problem in nearly analytic form, in the large detuning limit, using both a Vlasov approach and a Fokker-Planck description. The application of our predictions to recent experimental findings, reported by Kruse et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett., 91 183601 (2003)], yields a semiquantitative agreement with the observations.

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  • Received 17 November 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.70.023405

©2004 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

J. Javaloyes1,*, M. Perrin1,†, G. L. Lippi1, and A. Politi1,2

  • 1Institut Non Linéaire de Nice, UMR 6618 CNRS, Université de Nice–Sophia Antipolis, 1361 Route des Lucioles, F-06560 Valbonne, France
  • 2Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata, Largo E. Fermi 6, 50125 Firenze, Italy

  • *Present address: ONT, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus de la Plaine, C.P. 231, B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium.
  • Present address: IEMN, Avenue Poincaré, B.P. 69, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France.

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Issue

Vol. 70, Iss. 2 — August 2004

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