Why material slow light does not improve cavity-enhanced atom detection. Issue 2 (19th January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Megyeri, B.; Lampis, A.; Harvie, G.; Culver, R.; Goldwin, J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of modern optics. Volume 65:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 185
• Page End: 191
• Publication Date: 2018-01-19
• Subjects: Electromagnetically induced transparency -- slow light -- cavity quantum electrodynamics -- cavity ringdown spectroscopy -- Purcell effect; Optics -- Periodicals; 535
• DOI: 10.1080/09500340.2017.1384512
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-0340

Abstract

Abstract: We discuss the prospects for enhancing absorption and scattering of light from a weakly coupled atom in a high-finesse optical cavity by adding a medium with large, positive group index of refraction. The slow-light effect is known to narrow the cavity transmission spectrum and increase the photon lifetime, but the quality factor of the cavity may not be increased in a metrologically useful sense. Specifically, detection of the weakly coupled atom through either cavity ringdown measurements or the Purcell effect fails to improve with the addition of material slow light. A single-atom model of the dispersive medium helps elucidate why this is the case.