Related papers: Optical attenuation without absorption
When a resonant photon traverses a sample of absorbing atoms, how much time do atoms spend in the excited state? Does the answer depend on whether the photon is ultimately absorbed or transmitted? In particular, if it is $\textit{not}$…
Entanglement can modify light-matter interaction effects and, conversely, these interactions can change the non-classical correlations present in the system. We present an example where these mutual connections can be discussed in a simple…
We consider two separate atoms interacting with a single-mode optical resonator. When the frequency of the resonator field is twice the atomic transition frequency, we show that there exists a resonant coupling between \textit{one} photon…
Electron capture by {\it isolated} atoms and ions proceeds by photorecombination. In this process a species captures a free electron by emitting a photon which carries away the excess energy. It is shown here that in the presence of an {\it…
The interaction of a single-photon wave packet with an initially excited two-level atom in free space is studied in semiclassical and quantum approaches. It is shown that the final state of the field does not contain doubly occupied modes.…
Natural and artificial light harvesting systems often operate in a regime where the flux of photons is relatively low. Besides absorbing as many photons as possible it is therefore paramount to prevent excitons from annihilation via photon…
We present a self-consistent theory, as well as an illustrative application to a realistic system, of phase control of photoabsorption in an optically dense medium. We demonstrate that, when propagation effects are taken into consideration,…
Techniques to control the quantum state of light play a crucial role in a wide range of fields, from quantum information science to precision measurements. While for electrons in solid state materials complex quantum states can be created…
Laser cooling of atomic motion enables a wide variety of technological and scientific explorations using cold atoms. Here we focus on the effect of laser cooling on the photons instead of on the atoms. Specifically, we show that…
All optical detectors to date annihilate photons upon detection, thus excluding repeated measurements. Here, we demonstrate a robust photon detection scheme which does not rely on absorption. Instead, an incoming photon is reflected off an…
We describe two-photon absorption processes excited by entangled pairs, but not by non-entangled pairs of the same energy and polarization. Photon states are selected for destructive interference in the non-entangled process between…
A near-minimal instance of optical cooling is experimentally presented wherein the internal-state entropy of a single atom is reduced more than twofold by illuminating it with broadband, incoherent light. Since the rate of optical pumping…
The study of a positive or negative charge when an atom loses or gains an electron is a custom in both physical and chemical sciences. However, the related principles and phenomena become confusing when studying the concepts of ionization.…
We present a theoretical analysis of two-photon absorption of classical and squeezed light valid when one-photon absorption to an intermediate state is either resonant or far-detuned from resonance, and in both the low and high intensity…
Recently, the photon absorption attracts lots of interest and plays an important role in a variety of applications. Here, we propose a valuable scheme to investigate the perfect photon absorption in a hybrid atom-optomechanical system both…
Optical binding is a form of light-mediated forces between elements of matter which emerge in response to the collective scattering of light. Such phenomenon has been studied mainly in the context of equilibrium stability of dielectric…
The interaction between light and an atom proceeds via three paradigmatic mechanisms: spontaneous emission, stimulated emission, and absorption. All three are resonant processes in the sense that they require that the radiation field be…
The decay of an excited is shown to slow down in the presence of a photo detector. This is similar to the behavior of an atom in a mistuned cavity, and under the conditions of the quantum Zeno effect. No external perturbing field is applied…
We investigate the process of photon absorption by atoms or molecules shortly interacting with a laser beam in the dipole approximation. Assuming that the interaction time $\tau$ is much smaller than the lifetime of the corresponding…
We study the optical response of a binary system of identical atoms in which one of them is excited by an incoherent pump. %We study the properties of photon scattering, absorption and emission, together with the time evolution of the…