Generation of Superpositions of Coherent States Along a Straight Line via Raman Interaction

We present an alternative scheme for preparing the superpositions of coherent states along a straight line of a cavity field using degenerate atom-cavity field Raman interaction. In the scheme, a collection of A-type three-level atoms is orderly sent through the cavity to interact with the cavity field adjusted by a microwave source connected to it, followed by state-selective measurements. In this way, we can prepare the superpositions of several coherent states along a straight line with arbitrary weighting factors for the cavity field. In the scheme, the coherence of the atom-cavity system may be maintained and the second microwave field is unnecessary, which is prior to the previous scheme.