Energy in atom-cavities

Friday 12/03/2010 14:30

On Friday 12th March, we’re delighted that Almut Beige of the University of Leeds will talk about ‘Energy concentration in composite quantum systems’. This colloquium will be of particular interest to those in the quantum/nano/photonics areas. Undergraduates will, as always, be most welcome.

The spontaneous emission of photons from optical cavities and from trapped atoms has been studied extensively in the framework of quantum optics. Theoretical predictions based on the rotating wave approximation (RWA) are in general in very good agreement with experimental findings. However, current experiments aim at combining better and better cavities with large numbers of tightly confined atoms. Here we predict an energy concentrating mechanism in the behavior of such a composite quantum system which cannot be described by the RWA. Its result is the continuous leakage of photons through the cavity mirrors, even in the absence of external driving. We conclude with a discussion of the predicted phenomenon in the context of thermodynamics.

This will be at 2.30pm in the seminar room, Tea and cakes afterwards. Programme online.

There are currently no active polls on the site, but there will be soon!