Quantum Thermodynamics of Cavity Cooling

Recently, a general thermodynamical formalism for bipartite systems was developed by Boukobza and Tannor at the Weizmann Institute of Science. This formalism was successfully applied to simple quantum optical systems, and a full thermodynamical analysis for quantum light amplification and light purification was obtained. At about the same time, a novel cavity cooling scheme for two-level atoms was realized by Salzburger and Ritsch at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Innsbruck. This cavity cooling scheme gives rise to self trapping of an atomic ensemble and eventually leads to non-linear amplification of light inside the optical resonator. In this proposal we combine the knowledge and knowhow accumulated by the two research groups and aim at exploring the relationship between cavity amplification and atomic trapping in a way that is consistent with fundamental thermodynamical laws, by studying an ensemble of three-level system inside a cavity. In addition, we will also study the thermodynamical properties of two weakly-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC`s) that are thermally pumped.