English

Optical realization of the dissipative quantum oscillator

Quantum Physics 2016-05-04 v1 Optics

Abstract

An optical realization of the damped quantum oscillator, based on transverse light dynamics in an optical resonator with slowly-moving mirrors, is theoretically suggested. The optical resonator setting provides a simple implementation of the time-dependent Caldirola-Kanai Hamiltonian of the dissipative quantum oscillator, and enables to visualize the effects of damped oscillations in the classical (ray optics) limit and wave packet collapse in the quantum (wave optics) regime.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1603.01364,
  title  = {Optical realization of the dissipative quantum oscillator},
  author = {Stefano Longhi and Shane M. Eaton},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1603.01364},
  year   = {2016}
}

Comments

The article is dedicated to Professor Orazio Svelto on the occasion of his 80th birthday. To appear in Optics Letters

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