Experimental study of absorption and gain by two-level atoms in a time-delayed non-Markovian optical field

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Physical Review A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.47.3202· OSTI ID:6943157

Anderson, M H; Vemuri, G; Cooper, J; Zoller, P; Smith, S J ^[1]

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1. Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440 (United States)

We have measured the absorption from a weak time-delayed probe field by a two-level atomic system [Na 3[ital s][sub 1/2]([ital F]=2,[ital m][sub [ital F]]=2)[r arrow]3[ital p][sub 3/2]([ital F]=3,[ital m][sub [ital F]]=3)] saturated by a phase-diffusing pump field. The pump and probe, derived from the same artificially-noise-modulated phase-diffusing laser beam, are frequency degenerate and resonant with the atomic transition. The probe is a time-delayed replica of the pump. Our results, carried out in a regime where the field bandwidth and the Rabi frequency are comparable, provide confirmation of recent theoretical predictions [K. Gheri, M. A. M. Marte, and P. Zoller, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 5, 1559 (1991)] for the atomic response to the non-Markovian composite of a pump and time-delayed probe, valid for arbitrary bandwidths and intensities. Amplification of the probe field is observed for delays comparable to the lifetime of the upper level and again for very long delays, if the bandwidth is less than the decay rate of the upper state.

• OSTI ID: 6943157
• Journal Information: Physical Review A; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review A; (United States) Vol. 47:4; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661100 -- Classical & Quantum Mechanics-- (1992-)
661300* -- Other Aspects of Physical Science-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABSORPTION
ALKALI METALS
AMPLIFICATION
ELEMENTS
GAIN
LASERS
MARKOV PROCESS
METALS
OPTICAL PUMPING
PROBES
PUMPING
QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
SODIUM
SORPTION
STOCHASTIC PROCESSES