Stochastic resonance driven by quantum shot noise in superradiant Raman scattering

Abstract

We discuss the effects of noise on the timing and strength of superradiant Raman scattering from a small dense sample of atoms. We demonstrate a genuine quantum stochastic resonance effect, where the atomic response is largest for an appropriate quantum noise level. The peak scattering intensity per atom assumes its maximum for a specific non-zero value of quantum noise given by the square root of the number of atoms.