Measuring quasiprobability distribution functions of the cavity field considering field and atomic decays

Abstract

We study the possibility of reconstructing the quantum state of light in a cavity subject to dissipation. We pass atoms, also subject to decay, through the cavity and surprisingly show that both decays allow the measurement of $s$-parametrized quasiprobability distributions. In fact, if we consider only atomic decay, we show that the Wigner function may be reconstructed. Because these distributions contain whole information of the initial field state, it is possible to recover information after both atomic and field decays occur.