Armen Michael A, Miller Anthony E, Mabuchi Hideo
Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2009 Oct 23;103(17):173601. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.173601. Epub 2009 Oct 20.
We utilize high-bandwidth phase-quadrature homodyne measurement of the light transmitted through a Fabry-Perot cavity, driven strongly and on resonance, to detect excess phase noise induced by a single intracavity atom. We analyze the correlation properties and driving-strength dependence of the atom-induced phase noise to establish that it corresponds to the long-predicted phenomenon of spontaneous dressed-state polarization. Our experiment thus provides a demonstration of cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong-driving regime in which one atom interacts strongly with a many-photon cavity field to produce novel quantum stochastic behavior.
