The possibility of cancelling the signal of linear polarization upon coherent excitation of 4s 3 S 1 atoms via a Λ scheme from 3p 3 P 1 and 3p 3 P 2 levels is demonstrated using an ensemble of sulphur atoms as an example.
An experimental investigation of electron - impact induced transitions from the laser - excited 3P state of sodium atom to the 4S and 3D excited states is presented, the main objective being measurement of the atomic collision parameters ( ACPs ) that are related to individual scattering amplitudes. These parameters are complementary to the differential excitation cross - sections and provide finer details on the collisional excitation process. The experiment involved the preparation of the 3P - state with coherent laser radiation of a particular polarisation and measuring the rate of electrons scattered from the laser - excited state as function of laser polarisations. The ACPs were then deduced from these measurements and optical pumping parameters, which account for the optical preparation of the 3P - state. To formulate different measurement schemes, a measurement theory based on the general description of transitions between states of different angular momentum using density matrix formalism is derived. The investigation of the 3P - 4S transition is very similar to the studies of the 3S - 3P excitation performed by superelastic method involving the 3P - 3S scattering in the 'time - inverse' geometry. 'Standard' ACPs are used and, similarly to the superelastic method, the measurements for the 3P - 4S excitation performed in the 'time - inverse' geometry also reveal ACPs for the 4S - 3P de -excitation process. For the more complex 3P - 3D transition, however, the 'standard' ACPs may be less informative. It is shown that certain sums of individual magnetic sublevel excitation probabilities can be measured which may be considered as atomic collision parameters for transitions between P and D - states.
An experimental investigation of the atomic-Na 3s 2${\mathit{S}}_{1/2--}$5s 2S1/2 two-color two-photon polarization spectrum has been made. Measurements of the linear polarization degree of the two-photon transition were made for one laser tuned within a \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}100 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ range of the atomic-Na 3p 2Pj levels, with the second adjusted to satisfy the two-photon resonance condition. The relatively short-pulse (\ensuremath{\sim}0.5 ns) lasers used eliminate effects on the spectrum due to atomic-Na hyperfine interactions and radiation trapping, while greatly reducing depolarization due to collisions with Ar gas. In the absence of collisions, the measured polarization spectrum is in excellent agreement with calculations. Measurements of the Ar pressure dependence of the spectrum revealed strong depolarization in the vicinity of resonant excitation through the 3p 2P3/2 level. A collisional depolarization cross section of 200(30) \AA{} for this process was deduced from the data.
Several calculations have been carried out using the transition operator technique. The radiative decay in a two-level quantum system with excited state coupled by an external perturbation has been investigated and an expression obtained for P(t), the probability of finding the atom in its excited state at time t. This is seen to possess a steady value for yt >> 1 and a third term which decays at nearly half the rate of its second. Next radiative decay of an atom with two close-lying excited states is considered and |bq| 2 , the spectral density for spontaneous emission from the uppermost level, calculated. This shows that the proximity of the upper two levels makes the line-shape non-Lorentxian. Heisenberg equations of motion were then derived for the transitions operators of an ℓ-level atom undergoing radiative decay, the possibility of overlapping pairs of levels being ignored. These master equations were then used to obtain the spectral profiles of certain atomic lines, employing the so-far avoided Markoff approximation. First the spectral density of the scattered radiation was found for transitions between levels 5P3/2 and 4S (ground state), and 6S and 5P 3/2, in the potassium atom when driving fields of arbitrary strength coupled levels 6S and 4P3/2, and 4P 3/2 and 4S. Triple-peaked profiles were obtained. Spectral profiles for emission were then derived for transitions between levels 3P and (ground state), and 3P and in the hydrogen atom when a driving field of arbitrary strength coupled levels The former profile was double the latter quadruple-peaked. Lastly master equations were derived for an atom, with two excited levels undergoing radiative decay, when allowance was made for thepossibility of their overlapping. A driving field of arbitrary magnitude coupled the uppermost and ground states. The spectrum for the scattered light resulting from transitions between the uppermost and ground state was found and graphs computed for various field strengths and separations of the excited states.