Enhanced spontaneous emission into the mode of a cavity QED system.

We study the light generated by spontaneous emission into a mode of a cavity QED system under weak excitation of the orthogonally polarized mode. Operating in the intermediate regime of cavity QED with comparable coherent and decoherent coupling constants, we find an enhancement of the emission into the undriven cavity mode by more than a factor of 18.5 over that expected by the solid angle subtended by the mode.

Steady State Entanglement in Cavity QED.

We investigate steady state entanglement in an open quantum system, specifically a single atom in a driven optical cavity with cavity loss and spontaneous emission. The system reaches a steady pure state when driven very weakly. Under these conditions, there is an optimal value for atom-field coupling to maximize entanglement, as larger coupling favors a loss port due to the cavity enhanced spontaneous emission.

Kapitza-Dirac diffraction without standing waves: diffraction without a grating?

We discuss electron diffraction from two counterpropagating light waves with two different frequencies. We show that, even though these waves do not form a standing wave, electron diffraction similar to the conventional Kapitza-Dirac effect, i.e.

Bragg scattering of free electrons using the Kapitza-Dirac effect.

Bragg scattering has been observed for free electrons using a standing wave of light. Both the rocking curve and the angular electron distribution have been measured. The results of a numerical simulation to the Schrödinger equation are consistent with our experimental data.

Observation of the Kapitza-Dirac effect.

In their famous 1927 experiment, Davisson and Germer observed the diffraction of electrons by a periodic material structure, so showing that electrons can behave like waves. Shortly afterwards, Kapitza and Dirac predicted that electrons should also be diffracted by a standing light wave. This Kapitza-Dirac effect is analogous to the diffraction of light by a grating, but with the roles of the wave and matter reversed.