Analysis of a two-atom double-slit experiment based on environment-induced measurements
Christian Schön, Almut Beige · Physical Review A · 2001
To investigate the effect of the environment on a quantum-mechanical system we consider two two-level atoms in a free radiation field in the presence of a screen. By assuming that the screen causes continuous ideal measurements on the free radiation field we derive a quantum jump description for the state of the atoms. Our results are consistent with the master equation for dipole interacting atoms, but give more insight in the time evolution of a single system. To illustrate this we derive a necessary and sufficient criterion for interference in a two-atom double-slit experiment and analyze bunching in the statistics of photons emitted in a certain direction.