Double jumps and transition rates for two dipole-interacting atoms

Cooperative effects in the fluorescence of two dipole-interacting atoms, wi th macroscopic quantum jumps (light and dark periods), are investigated. Th e transition rates between different intensity periods are calculated in cl osed form and are used to determine the rates of double jumps between perio ds of double intensity and dark periods, the mean duration of the three int ensity periods and the mean rate of their occurrence. We predict, to our kn owledge for the first time, cooperative effects for double jumps, for atomi c distances from one and to ten wave lengths of the strong transition, The double jump rate, as a function of the atomic distance, can show oscillatio ns of up to 30% at distances of about a wave length, and oscillations are s till noticeable at a distance of ten wave lengths. The cooperative effects of the quantities and their characteristic behavior turn out to be strongly dependent on the laser detuning.