Pre-Gaussian noise in strong laser-atom interactions

Abstract

We present a continuation of a general theoretical approach to noisy laser-atom interactions based on a special Markov-chain description of external fluctuations. This chain, composed of n independent two-state jump processes, forms a non-Gaussian stochastic process from which a detailed discussion of the atomic response can be given. We show that the n-component Markov chain also has the property of pre-Gaussian noise, because in the limit of n → ∞ it converges to a Gaussian stochastic process. We exhibit solutions for the field spectrum and the atomic-fluorescence spectrum for phase, frequency, and amplitude pre-Gaussian fluctuations of the driving-laser light.