Physical Review A
Superfluorescent transitions between high-lying levels in an external electric field
T. Becker, R.-H. Rinkleff
Abstract
The occurrence of superfluorescence in the near-infrared regime has been investigated between high-lying levels of Sr, Ba, and Na under the influence of a static homogeneous external electric field. The time inequalities for single-pulse superfluorescence were fulfilled. The measurements show for all the investigated superfluorescent transitions that the square root of the peak intensity of the superfluorescent pulse decreases with the square of the electric-field strength. If one takes into account the dependence of the number of excited atoms, the wavelengths, and the line strengths of the superfluorescent pulses on the electric-field strengths, the experimental findings cannot be explained by well-known theories of superfluorescence.