The Journal of Chemical Physics

Coherent and incoherent contributions to the carrier-envelope phase control of wave packet localization in quantum double wells

Kilian Hader, Volker Engel

Published May 13, 2014• 2 citations

Abstract

We study laser excitation processes in a double well potential. The possibility to influence localization via the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of a laser pulse is investigated for various situations which differ in the nature of the initial state prior to the laser interactions. In more detail, the CEP-dependence of asymmetries in the case where initially the system is described by localized wave packets, eigenstates, or incoherent mixtures are calculated and interpreted within time-dependent perturbation theory. It is investigated which contributions to the asymmetry exist and how they can be modified to reveal a more or less pronounced CEP-effect.

DOI: 10.1063/1.4874876

Related papers

Carrier-envelope-phase dependent coherence in double quantum wells

Wen‐Xing Yang, Xiaoxue Yang, Ray‐Kuang Lee

By analyzing the interaction of a few-cycle laser pulse within an asymmetric semiconductor double quantum well structure, we show that the transient coherence thus produced is strongly dependent on the carrier-envelope-phase (CEP) and significantly enhanced due to the Fano-type interference. A method to determine the CEP is proposed by directly mapping the CEP dependent coherence to the quantum beat signals.

Optics ExpressAug 17, 200927 citations

General Theory of Carrier-Envelope Phase Effects

Vladimir Roudnev, Brett D. Esry

We present a general framework for understanding carrier-envelope phase (CEP) effects in a quantum system interacting with an intense, short laser pulse. We establish a simple connection between the CEP and the wave function that can be exploited to obtain the full CEP dependence of an observable given the wave function at a single CEP. Within this framework, all CEP effects are interpreted as interference between different photon amplitudes which, in turn, can be used to put limits on the pulse lengths and intensities required to see significant CEP effects.

arXiv:physics/0602100Physical Review LettersNov 29, 2007133 citations

Carrier-Envelope Phase-Dependent Atomic Coherence and Its Detection Scheme

Xiaoxue Yang, Ying Wu

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of few-cycle laser pulses is shown to have profound effects on the bound-state atomic coherence even in the weak-field regime where ionizations hardly take place, and a simple scheme is proposed to measure such CEP-dependent atomic coherence.

Communications in Theoretical PhysicsApr 1, 20080 citations

Sensitive frequency dependence of the carrier-envelope phase effect on bound-bound transitions: An interference perspective

Dian Peng, Biao Wu, Panming Fu +3 more

We investigate numerically with Hylleraas coordinates the frequency dependence of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) effect on bound-bound transitions of helium induced by an ultrashort laser pulse of a few cycles. We find that the CEP effect is very sensitive to the carrier frequency of the laser pulse, occurring regularly even at far-off-resonance frequencies. By analyzing a two-level model, we find that the CEP effect can be attributed to the quantum interference between neighboring multiphoton transition pathways, which is made possible by the broadened spectrum of the ultrashort laser pulse. A general picture is developed along this line to understand the sensitivity of the CEP effect to the laser's carrier frequency. Multilevel influence on the CEP effect is also discussed.

arXiv:1009.5049Physical Review ANov 8, 20109 citations

Carrier-envelope phase-dependent atomic coherence and quantum beats

Ying Wu, Xiaoxue Yang

It is shown that the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of few-cycle laser pulses has profound effects on the bound-state atomic coherence even in the weak-field regime where both tunneling and multiphoton ionization hardly take place. The atomic coherence thus produced is shown to be able to be mapped onto the CEP-dependent signal of quantum beats (and other quantum-interference phenomena) and hence might be used to extract information about and ultimately to measure the carrier-envelope phase.

Physical Review AJul 26, 2007115 citations

Carrier-envelope phase sensitive inversion driven by few-cycle pulse pairs

Bing Zeng, Lingze Duan

The response of a two-level system to a few-cycle pulse pair has been investigated with a special focus on the relation between population inversion and the carrier-envelope phases (CEPs) of the two pulses. The goal is to explore possible schemes of coherent control based on sequential ultrafast pulses. Simulation results indicate a close CEP-inversion relation, which stems from the coherent nature of the interaction. The impact of the pulse amplitudes is evaluated and is shown to create weak-field and strong-field interaction regions with drastically different characteristics. The important role of carrier-wave Rabi flopping in defining these characteristics is also analyzed. Finally, advantages of the method and experimental realization are discussed.

OSA ContinuumDec 10, 20183 citations