Cavity QED — Vacuum Rabi Splitting & Polariton Branches

A two-level atom coupled to a cavity mode with strength g exhibits vacuum Rabi splitting: the dressed states (polaritons) split by 2g. Strong coupling requires g > (κ,γ)/2. The transmission spectrum shows two peaks, and the Jaynes-Cummings ladder reveals the anharmonic level structure.

Transmission T(ω) showing vacuum Rabi doublet. Red dashed = bare cavity/atom resonances.
Polariton branches E± vs atom-cavity detuning Δ. Avoided crossing at Δ=0.
Coupling g:
Rabi splitting 2g:
Cooperativity C=g²/κγ:
Regime:
Jaynes-Cummings energy ladder |n,±⟩. Anharmonic splitting ∝√n.