PHASE DIFFUSION, ENTANGLED STATES, AND QUANTUM MEASUREMENTS IN THE MICROMASER

In this paper we show how different measurement schemes for a micromas er system may be used to investigate different aspects of the maser dy namics. The features which are investigated include a measurement of t he phase diffusion in steady-state, transient states with several orde rs of coherence, and an interesting connection to questions of the Ein stein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox. In addition, it is shown rigorously that different measurement schemes acting only on the atomic part of the s ystem after the cavity have no influence on the ensemble properties of the cavity field.