ATOMIC INTERFERENCE IN THE MICROMASER AND STATISTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MICROMASER FIELD

In this paper we report on atomic interferometry in the micromaser. Th e atomic inversion is recorded while scanning the cavity frequency acr oss the atomic resonance. For high pump rates, interference patterns a re observed on the low-frequency wing of the maser line. The interfere nces are due to the non-adiabatic mixing of dressed states of the atom s at the entrance and exit holes of the maser cavity, leading to a Ram sey-type two-field interaction. Furthermore, statistical properties of the maser field are investigated via a measurement of the statistics of the pump atoms that leave the maser cavity. Theoretical expressions for the time dependence of the Fano-Mandel parameter Q(A)(t) are comp ared with the experimental data. We demonstrate, that metastability of the maser field and atomic interference strongly influence the approa ch to a steady-state value of Q(A)(t).