Extended Jaynes-Cummings Models In Cavity Qed

Abstract: Due to the improvement within cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments during the last decades, what was former seen as 'toy models' are today realized in laboratories. A controlled isolated coherent evolution of one or a few atoms coupled to a single mode inside a cavity is achievable. Such systems are well suited for studying purely quantum mechanical effects, and also for performing quantum gates, necessary for quantum computing. The Jaynes-Cummings model has served as a theoretical description of the interaction. However, as the experimental techniques are improved, for example, atom cooling, the use of multi-level atoms or multi-modes and driving of atoms or elds by external lasers, extensions of the original Jaynes-Cummings model are needed. In this thesis we study some of these extended models, and in particular multi-level models, time-dependent models and quantized motion models. Both analytical and numerical analysis are considered. The two-level structure of the Jaynes-Cummings model leads to applications of known solvable time-dependent two-level Schrödinger equations. In other cases, di erent forms of adiabatic approximate solutions are used, and with the analytically solvable models, the amplitudes of non-adiabatic contributions may be estimated. For higher dimensional systems, STIRAP and multi-STIRAP methods are applied. It is shown how the time-dependent models may be used for preparation of various kinds of non-classical states, and also to generate universal sets of quantum gates, both on atomic and eld qubits. When the atoms are cooled to very low temperatures, their velocities must be treated quantum mechanically, and we have studied the dynamics of such cases for di erent coupling shapes. Again numerical and analytical approaches have been used and compared, wave-packet propagations of the atom, approaching and traversing the cavity, have been performed. For periodic couplings, standing wave cavity modes, the dynamics has been described by e ective parameters; group velocity or atomic index of refraction and effective mass. Tunneling resonances for ultra cold atoms have been exhibited in the STIRAP models for certain initial conditions.