Physical interpretation of operator dynamics in the Jaynes-Cummings model

By means of simple mathematical methods, typical properties of the quantum dynamics in the Jaynes-Cummings model are discussed. The methods used allow a clear physical interpretation in the sense of an ensemble average and permit an investigation of the influence of the initial photon distribution width on collapse and revivals. Results obtained by a more sophisticated treatment provide corrections which are on the order 1/√N₀ for N₀>>1 where N₀ is the average photon number. The time evolution of the electric field strength and the photon distribution are also studied