Spatial inhomogeneity of the absorption and re-emission properties of an optically active medium in a resonator

Abstract

The spatial inhomogeneity of absorption coefficient of the space between mirrors, filled by an optically active gas, is analyzed in quantum optical terms. It was theoretically shown, that the quantization of electromagnetic field in a cavity (optical resonator) can reveal the spatial inhomogeneity of absorption or re-emission ability of the optically active medium. It appears from the analytical calculations, the inhomogeneity is caused by the Doppler frequency shifts (including recoil effects) during the atom-photon collisions and the non-zero initial frequency width of the scanning signal. The proposed analytical representation of the absorption coefficient through the additive quantum optical terms gives deeper insight into intrinsic processes in the interacting with light matter.