Experimental demonstration of population inversion driven by retroreflection-induced bichromatic adiabatic passage

Journal Article · Tue Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 2005 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.72.0· OSTI ID:20786587

Conde, Alvaro Peralta; Yatsenko, Leonid P; Klein, Jens; Oberst, Martin; Halfmann, Thomas ^[1]

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1. Fachbereich Physik der Universitaet, Erwin-Schroedinger-Strasse, D-67653 Kaiserslautern (Germany)

We present experimental data to demonstrate coherently driven population inversion by retroreflection-induced bichromatic adiabatic passage in metastable helium atoms. Complete and robust population transfer from an initial to a target state is induced by coherent interaction of the atoms in a supersonic beam with two counterpropagating and temporally delayed laser pulses of different intensities. The radiation fields intersect the atomic beam slightly tilted away from normal incidence, thereby inducing Doppler shifts of the atomic resonance between the initial and the target state. Thus the laser pulses produce a bichromatic field in the rest frame of each atom, which induces complete coherent population transfer by an adiabatic passage process.

• OSTI ID: 20786587
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 72; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMIC BEAMS
ATOMS
DOPPLER EFFECT
HELIUM
LASER RADIATION
METASTABLE STATES
POPULATION INVERSION
PULSES
RESONANCE