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arXiv:2506.11275 · Physical Review A

Population-resolved measurement of an avoided crossing of light-dressed states

Noah Schlossberger, Nikunjkumar Prajapati, Eric B. Norrgard, Stephen Eckel, Christopher L. Holloway

Published Nov 17, 2025• 2 citations
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Abstract

A two-level system coupled by a coherent field is a ubiquitous system in atomic and molecular physics. In the rotating wave approximation, the light-dressed states are well described by a simple 2x2 Hamiltonian which can be easily solved analytically and is thus used in quantum mechanics education and as a basis for intuition for more complicated systems. The solution to the Hamiltonian is an avoided crossing between the light-dressed ground and excited states. In experiments, the avoided crossing is probed spectroscopically, meaning only the energies, or eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian, are measured. Here, we present a measurement of the avoided crossing which also resolves population, thus indicating the amplitude coefficients of the eigenvectors of the Hamiltonian. We perform the measurement in Rydberg states of cold rubidium atoms, resolving the energies spectroscopically with our pump lasers and the populations of each state using selective field ionization.

DOI
10.1103/y8j4-lsbr

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A two-level system coupled by a coherent field is a ubiquitous system in atomic and molecular physics. In the rotating wave approximation, the light-dressed states are well described by a simple 2x2 Hamiltonian which can be easily solved analytically and is thus used in quantum mechanics education and as a basis for intuition for more complicated systems. The solution to the Hamiltonian is an avoided crossing between the light-dressed ground and excited states. In experiments, the avoided crossing is probed spectroscopically, meaning only the energies, or eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian, are measured. Here, we present a measurement of the avoided crossing which also resolves population, thus indicating the amplitude coefficients of the eigenvectors of the Hamiltonian. We perform the measurement in Rydberg states of cold rubidium atoms, resolving the energies spectroscopically with our pump lasers and the populations of each state using selective field ionization.
Light-induced absorption with population inversion and amplification without population inversion in a coherently prepared closed three level V-type system are investigated. This study is performed from the point of view of a two color dressed-state basis. Both of these processes are possible due to atomic coherence and quantum interference contrary to simple intuitive predictions. Merely on a physical basis, one would expect a complementary process to the amplification without inversion. We believe that absorption in the presence of population inversion found in the dressed-state picture utilized in this study, constitutes such a process. We derive approximate analytic time-dependent solutions, for coherences and populations that are compared with full numerical solutions exhibiting good agreement. Steady-state quantities are also calculated, and the conditions under which the system exhibits absorption and gain with and without inversion, in the dressed-state representation are derived. It is found that for weak input probe-laser field absorption with inversion and amplification without inversion may occur, for a range of system parameters. These take place at resonance and the generalized Rabi ac Stark-shifted frequencies, in agreement with exprimental investigations, and at beat frequencies, depending on the relevant parameters.
We consider a two-level atom in a strong laser field, described by the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian in the rotating-wave approximation, yielding the well known dressed states. Diagonalization of the total Hamiltonian is attained by introducing dressed-atomic and photon operators. The quantum theory of measurement of finite duration is used to explore the nature of the physical observables corresponding to the dressed operators. A measuring apparatus is contrived in order to observe the bare-atomic population and the bare-photon number in a dressed state of the system. It is shown that, if the duration of the measurement is longer than the Rabi period of the system, the apparatus leads to observation of the dressed-atomic population and of the dressed-photon number rather than of the corresponding bare quantities for which it was designed. Conceptual and practical consequences of this result are discussed.
A dressed-state study of lasing without population inversion from a three level atom interacting with a bi-chromatic laser field, in the ladder configuration, is formulated. We allow the atomic system to be dressed by both laser filed photons (double dressing). The evolution of the system under consideration is being explored both analytically and numerically, within the transient regime. Time dependent approximate analytic solutions for dressed-state populations and coherences are derived, within the so called “secular approximation,” under resonant conditions. We also present time dependent numerical solutions for population and coherences in the off-resonance regime. A spectral analysis is also performed revealing the structure of various dressed states transitions. These are shown to be composed of quintets centered about the frequencies of the coupling and probe laser fields and having sidebands located symmetrically at positions shifted from line center at the Rabi and double Rabi frequencies.
We have measured the locations and widths of the avoided level crossings between (n+3)s states and n,k Stark states in Rydberg Rb atoms with principal quantum numbers n between 16 and 25. We use two-step laser excitation to excite (n+3)s states in the presence of an electric field and observe a change in the number of atoms driven to higher-lying states by blackbody radiation as the electric field is tuned through the avoided level crossings. We have measured both the positions and widths of the avoided crossings. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Summary form only given.A three-level atom in the V-configuration is treated under two coherent laser fields at resonance with the two allowed transitions. The master equation for the system and full quantum mechanical Hamiltonian are derived, and equations of motion for the elements of the density matrix are obtained by projecting into the bare- and dressed-states schemes. Analysis of light amplification without population inversion in this V-type system is accomplished within the framework of the dressed-state basis. The physical content of the equations of motion for the density matrix elements, namely the coherences and the populations is provided by identifying effective decay and relaxation rates and gain/absorption constants with the appropriate composite coefficients. These depend on the Rabi frequencies of both the drive and probe coherent fields. Time-dependent solutions for both the coherences and the populations are obtained both numerically and analytically under the secular approximation. We have shown how to construct these analytical approximate time-dependent solutions for dressed-state populations and coherences. These approximate solutions, as well as the full numerical calculation quantities, exhibit oscillations at the generalized Rabi frequency.
The strong radiative single photon coupling between two excited states of sodium atoms (3p and 4d) has been studied at high intensities, exceeding 10 9 W cm -2 . These excited states are probed by Raman-like resonant five-photon ionization processes. Using two tunable lasers the authors have observed that the doubly resonant process does not occur. In the model picture of photon-dressed atomic levels, this situation can be described as an avoided crossing, with a large minimum separation of 30 cm -1 .