General limit to nondestructive optical detection of atoms

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    Abstract

    We demonstrate that there is a fundamental limit to the sensitivity of phase-based detection of atoms with light for a given maximum level of allowable spontaneous emission. This is a generalization of previous results for two- and three-level atoms. The limit is due to an upper bound on the phase shift that can be imparted on a laser beam for a given excited-state population. Specifically, we show that no single-pass optical technique using classical light, based on any number of lasers or coherences between any number of levels, can exceed the limit imposed by the two-level atom. This puts significant restrictions on potential nondestructive optical measurement schemes.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number043822
    JournalPhysical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
    Volume71
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2005

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