QED for a Fibrillar Medium of Two-Level Atoms

Abstract

We consider a fibrillar medium with a continuous distribution of two-level atoms coupled to quantized electromagnetic fields. Perturbation theory is developed based on the current algebra satisfied by the atomic operators. The one-loop corrections to the dispersion relation for the polaritons and the dielectric constant are computed. Renormalization group equations are derived which demonstrate a screening of the two-level splitting at higher energies. Our results are compared with known results in the slowly varying envelope and rotating wave approximations. We also discuss the quantum sine-Gordon theory as an approximate theory.