Super-radiance


Book Description

Super-radiance: Multiatomic Coherent Emission provides a comprehensive, self-contained account of the theory and experiments of the quantum optic phenomenon of superradiance. Contributed by highly regarded researchers in the field, the book first presents the theory of superradiance at a level suitable for graduate physicists approaching the subject for the first time. This introduction is followed by a more rigorous treatment that is supported by the analysis of experiments dealing with superradiance and by a discussion on the possible uses of the effect in other areas of optics and electronics. The theoretical and experimental results presented in this book will introduce a wide audience to this important area of quantum optics.




Manipulating Quantum Systems


Book Description

The field of atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) science underpins many technologies and continues to progress at an exciting pace for both scientific discoveries and technological innovations. AMO physics studies the fundamental building blocks of functioning matter to help advance the understanding of the universe. It is a foundational discipline within the physical sciences, relating to atoms and their constituents, to molecules, and to light at the quantum level. AMO physics combines fundamental research with practical application, coupling fundamental scientific discovery to rapidly evolving technological advances, innovation and commercialization. Due to the wide-reaching intellectual, societal, and economical impact of AMO, it is important to review recent advances and future opportunities in AMO physics. Manipulating Quantum Systems: An Assessment of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics in the United States assesses opportunities in AMO science and technology over the coming decade. Key topics in this report include tools made of light; emerging phenomena from few- to many-body systems; the foundations of quantum information science and technologies; quantum dynamics in the time and frequency domains; precision and the nature of the universe, and the broader impact of AMO science.




Ultracold Atoms in Optical Lattices


Book Description

This book explores the physics of atoms frozen to ultralow temperatures and trapped in periodic light structures. It introduces the reader to the spectacular progress achieved on the field of ultracold gases and describes present and future challenges in condensed matter physics, high energy physics, and quantum computation.







Atom Chips


Book Description

This stimulating discussion of a rapidly developing field is divided into two parts. The first features tutorials in textbook style providing self-contained introductions to the various areas relevant to atom chip research. Part II contains research reviews that provide an integrated account of the current state in an active area of research where atom chips are employed, and explore possible routes of future progress. Depending on the subject, the length of the review and the relative weight of the 'review' and 'outlook' parts vary, since the authors include their own personal view and style in their accounts.




Coherence Phenomena in Atoms and Molecules in Laser Fields


Book Description

This volume contains the lectures and communications presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (NATO ARW 900857) which was held May 5-10, 1991 at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A scientific commitee made up of P.P. Lambropoulos (USC & Crete), P.8. Corkum (NRC, Ottawa), and H. B. vL. van den Heuvell (FOM, Amsterdam) guided the organizers, A.D. Bandrauk (Sherbrooke) and S.C. Wallace (Toronto) in preparing a programme which would cover the latest advances in the field of atom and molecule laser interactions. Since the last meeting held in July 1987 on "Atomic and Molecular Processes with Short Intense Laser Pulses", NATO ASI vol 1718 (Plenum Press 1988), considerable progress has been made in understanding high intensity effects on atoms and the concomitant coherence effects. After four years, the emphasis is now shifting more to molecules. The present volume represents therefore this trend with four sections covering the main interests of research endeavours in this area: i) Atoms in Intense Laser-Fields ii) Molecules in Intense Laser Fields iii) Atomic Coherences iv) Molecular Coherences The experience developed over the years in multiphoton atomic processes has been very useful and is the main source of our understanding of similar processes in molecules. Thus ATI (above threshold ionization) has been found to occur in molecules as well as a new phenomenon, ATD (above-threshold dissociation). Laser-induced avoided crossings of molecular electronic surfaces is also now entering the current language of high intensity molecular processes.




Radiative Processes in Astrophysics


Book Description

Radiative Processes in Astrophysics: This clear, straightforward, and fundamental introduction is designed to present-from a physicist's point of view-radiation processes and their applications to astrophysical phenomena and space science. It covers such topics as radiative transfer theory, relativistic covariance and kinematics, bremsstrahlung radiation, synchrotron radiation, Compton scattering, some plasma effects, and radiative transitions in atoms. Discussion begins with first principles, physically motivating and deriving all results rather than merely presenting finished formulae. However, a reasonably good physics background (introductory quantum mechanics, intermediate electromagnetic theory, special relativity, and some statistical mechanics) is required. Much of this prerequisite material is provided by brief reviews, making the book a self-contained reference for workers in the field as well as the ideal text for senior or first-year graduate students of astronomy, astrophysics, and related physics courses. Radiative Processes in Astrophysics also contains about 75 problems, with solutions, illustrating applications of the material and methods for calculating results. This important and integral section emphasizes physical intuition by presenting important results that are used throughout the main text; it is here that most of the practical astrophysical applications become apparent.




Condensed Matter Field Theory


Book Description

This primer is aimed at elevating graduate students of condensed matter theory to a level where they can engage in independent research. Topics covered include second quantisation, path and functional field integration, mean-field theory and collective phenomena.




Photosynthetic Excitons


Book Description

Excitons are considered as the basic concept used by describing the spectral properties of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes and excitation dynamics in photosynthetic light-harvesting antenna and reaction centers. Following the recently obtained structures of a variety of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes from plants and bacteria our interest in understanding the relation between structure, function and spectroscopy has strongly increased. These data demonstrate a short interpigment distance (of the order of 1 nm or even smaller) and/or a highly symmetric (ring-like) arrangement of pigment molecules in peripheral light-harvesting complexes of photosynthetic bacteria. Books which were devoted to the exciton problem so far mainly considered the spectral properties of molecular crystals. However, the small size of these pigment aggregates in the pigment-protein complexes as well as the role of the protein, which is responsible for the structural arrangement of the complex, clearly will have a dramatic influence on the pigment spectra and exciton dynamics. All these aspects of the problem are considered in this book. Exciton theory is mainly considered for small molecular aggregates (dimers, ring-like structures etc.). Together with the theoretical description of the classical conceptual approach, which mainly deals with polarization properties of the absorption and fluorescence spectra, the nonlinear femtosecond spectroscopy which is widely used for investigations now is also discussed. A large part of the book demonstrates the excitonic effects in a multitude of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes and how we can understand these properties on the basis of the exciton concept.