  We present the rigorous microscopic quantum theory of the interaction of
ultracold Bose and Fermi gases with the electromagnetic field of vacuum and
laser photons. The main attention has been paid to the consistent consideration
of dynamical dipole-dipole interactions. The theory developed is shown to be
consistent with the general principles of the canonical quantization of
electromagnetic field in a medium. Starting from the first principles of QED we
have derived the general system of Maxwell-Bloch equations for atomic creation
and annihilation operators and the propagation equation for the laser field
which can be used for the self-consistent analysis of various linear and
nonlinear phenomena in atom optics at high densities of the atomic system. All
known equations which are used for the description of the behaviour of an
ultracold atomic ensemble in a radiation field can be obtained from our general
system of equations in a low-density limit.
