Atom-Light interface Course Notes

Marco

January 31, 2020

Contents
1 Lorentz Oscillators 1
1.1 Equations of motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1.1 Polarizability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.1.2 Detuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 Scattering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1 Lorentz Oscillators
o -e
\
--- \
/ \ \--
/ \*E* \
|-----+----> \ \omega_0, \Gamma
\ / \--
\*B*/ \
--- \
+------+
| m |
+------+

• The system is an electron bounded to a spring.

• The resonance of the system is ω0 and it depends of the mass m.

• Γ is the damping of the system.

• The system is forced by the electromagnetic Field.

1
1.1 Equations of motion
• We have a damped forced harmonic oscillator
∂ 2~r ∂~r
m 2
= −mΓ ~ R,
− mω0~r − eE( ~ t), (1)
∂t ∂t
where R
~ is the center of mass.

• In principle the forced term should be the Lorentz force plus the electro-
˙
static force, but we are assuming that ~r˙ << c. So, −e ~rc × B(
~ R,
~ t) ∼ 0.

• The electric can be expressed as

 
~
−i(ωt−ϕ(R))
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
E(R, t) = E0 cos(ωt − ϕ(R)) = Re E0 e (2)

~
• The term E
~ 0 e−i(ωt−ϕ(R)) ~ −iωt is called complex electric field.
~ R)e
= E(

1.1.1 Polarizability
• We know that the charge oscillates harmonically (at frequency ω).
Then a good anzat for the position is

~r = Re ~re−iωt (3)

• Plug the eq. (anzat}) in eq. (1)

e ~ ~
−ω 2 + ω02 − iωΓ ~r = − E (4)


R
m
~ = −e~r(t) = Re(de
• Recalling the definition of the dipole moment d(t) ~ −iωt )
and From eq. (4), we can see that the charge induce a dipole moment.

e2 ~
E
− e~r = d~ = 2
, (5)
m (−ω + ω0 − iωΓ)
• From here, we can define the dipole polarizability:

e2 /m
α(ω) = (6)
−ω 2 + ω02 − iωΓ
 
~ = Re α(ω)E(
• So, d(t) ~ R)e
~ −ωt

2
1.1.2 Detuning
• For convention, the detuning is defined as ∆ = ω − ω0 , that is, the
applied frequency - resonance frequency (detuning from resonance).
So, we can write the polarizability as function of the detuning.

e2 /m
α(∆) =
−(ω0 + ∆)2 + ω02 − i(ω0 + ∆)Γ

• For weak damping, we assume that

|∆| << ω0 Γ << ω0 . (7)

• Then

e2 /2mω0
α(∆) ∼ (8)
−∆ − i Γ2

• Rationalizing

" #
Γ
e2 −∆
α(∆) = Γ2
+i 2
Γ2
(9)
2mω0 ∆2 + ∆2 +
4 4

• The real part is related with the dispersion and the imaginary part
with the dissipation (absorption).

1.2 Scattering
• Now, we suppose that the system is a gas of Lorentzian oscillators with
density N .

• In order to describe the scattering phenomena of the electromagnetic

field, we use the wave equation.

1 2 2~
 
∆− 2 2 E ~ = 4π ∂ P , (10)
c ∂t c2 ∂t2
 
where P~ = N d~ = Re N de
~ −iωt is the dipole density.

3
 -Reminding that d~ = (ω)E ~
~ and thus d(ω) ~ we get
= α(ω)E,

ω2
 
∆ + 2 n(ω)2 E( ~ R)
~ =0 (11)
c
where n(ω) = 1 + 4πN α(ω) is the complex index of refraction.
p