Twin stimulated amplification of light and matter waves in an atom-photon pair laser

TL;DR

This paper predicts a novel atom-photon pair laser in ultracold atoms within an optical resonator, demonstrating stimulated emission, nonclassical correlations, and continuous coherent atom and light generation.

Contribution

It introduces a new scheme for simultaneous matter-wave and light amplification with nonclassical correlations in an atom-photon pair laser.

Findings

Threshold for optical Raman sideband lasing predicted

Strong suppression of spontaneous emission processes

Nonclassical atom-photon correlations demonstrated

Abstract

We consider ultracold atoms in a far detuned optical lattice orientated across a high-Q optical resonator. Applying an external driving laser to the atoms, which is red detuned from the cavity mode by one vibrational quantum, induces cavity-enhanced sideband cooling. For a dense and cold enough atomic ensemble we predict an oscillation threshold for optical Raman sideband lasing concurrent with coherent matter-wave amplification. Above this oscillation threshold photons and atoms in the lowest band are dominantly created pairwise via stimulated emission with a strong suppression of competing spontaneous processes. In close analogy to a nondegenerate parametric oscillator we find sub-Poissonian photon statistics and almost perfect nonclassical atom-photon number correlations. Injecting atoms in higher vibrational bands via tunneling or incoherent scattering then leads to continuous, simultaneous generation of a coherent atom beam and laser light with nonclassical atom-field correlations.