Anne E. B. Nielsen

Time evolution of the state of atomic systems subjected to measurements
(Monday, 25 August, 3:30-4:15)

Abstract: Probing of the state of an atomic system can be achieved by allowing the system to interact with a light field, which is subsequently subjected to measurements. Due to the back action of the measurements, the time evolution of the state of the system is governed by a stochastic master equation, and here we consider a setup, where the system is enclosed in a cavity, and demonstrate how this equation can be derived directly from the physical interactions. As an application of the stochastic master equation we consider preparation of atomic spin squeezed states and compare the performance of a setup, which includes a cavity, and a setup, where the light field traverses the atoms only once.