Seeding patterns for self-organization of photons and atoms

TL;DR

This paper investigates how seeding patterns influence the self-organization of atoms and photons in a cavity, demonstrating control over atomic arrangements through external laser pumping in a nonlinear quantum-optical system.

Contribution

It introduces a method to control atomic pattern formation in a cavity by using an additional laser to favor specific configurations, advancing understanding of pattern seeding in quantum optics.

Findings

External laser pumping can select and stabilize specific atomic patterns.

The system can be dynamically driven into a desired configuration.

Pattern formation depends on the interplay of laser amplitude and cavity conditions.

Abstract

When atoms scatter photons from a transverse laser into a high-finesse optical cavity, they form crystalline structures which maximize the intracavity light field and trap the atoms in the ordered array. Stable organization occurs when the laser field amplitude exceeds a certain threshold. For planar single-mode cavities there exist two equivalent possible atomic patterns, which determine the phase of the intracavity light field. Under these premises, we show that the effect of an additional laser pumping the cavity makes one pattern more favorable than the other and that it can dynamically force the system into a predetermined configuration. This is an instance of pattern formation and seeding in a nonlinear quantum-optical system.