Open Quantum Systems with Applications to Precision Measurements

A spectrally pure coherent light source is an important component in precision measurement applications, such as an atomic clock. The more spectrally pure the coherent light source, or the narrower the linewidth of its power spectrum, the better for atomic clock experiments. A coherent light light source, such as a laser, is intrinsically an open quantum system, meaning that it gains and loses energy from an external environment.