Abstract
A sharp increase in the variance of the photon counting distribution for long collection times indicates an intermittent fluorescence signal, caused by (macroscopic) quantum jumps. Mandel's Q-parameter presents a convenient measure for the deviation of the actual statistics from that of a Poisson process. While the short time limit of Q(T) reflects the quantum statistical properties of individual emission events, the long time behaviour is dominated by the quasi-classical aspects of a random sequence of bright and dark periods. The typical signatures of quantum jumps, as they appear in the statistical description, can be visualized when comparing fluorescence from a two- and a three-level system. The classical aspects become obvious when comparison is made between the properties of a classical random telegraph signal and those of the quantum statistical calculation.
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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Herbert Welling on the occasion of his 60th birthday
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Merz, M., Schenzle, A. Photon statistics of fluorescence from a single three-level atom. Appl. Phys. B 50, 115–124 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331905
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00331905