ENTANGLED ATOMS IN MICROMASER PHYSICS

A micromaser in standard operation produces entangled two-level atoms. This entanglement can be investigated in the correlations of atoms le aving the micromaser cavity in the upper and lower maser levels. The c orrelations contribute to the stabilization of the photon number in th e cavity and are thus vital for the generation of sub-Poissonian stati stics in the maser field. We review how various statistical signatures for this entanglement are calculated in micromaser theory, and report recent measurements that demonstrate the case. Ways are described lea ding to an optimal entanglement for the atoms in the micromaser.