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Physical Review A

Noise in strong laser-atom interactions: Phase telegraph noise

Joseph H. Eberly, K. Wódkiewicz, Bruce W. Shore

Published Nov 1, 1984• 119 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We discuss strong laser-atom interactions that are subjected to jump-type (random telegraph) random-phase noise. Physically, the jumps may arise from laser fluctuations, from collisions of various kinds, or from other external forces. Our discussion is carried out in two stages. First, direct and partially heuristic calculations determine the laser spectrum and also give a third-order differential equation for the average inversion of a two-level atom on resonance. At this stage a number of general features of the interaction are able to be studied easily. The optical analog of motional narrowing, for example, is clearly predicted. Second, we show that the theory of generalized Poisson processes allows laser-atom interactions in the presence of random telegraph noise of all kinds (not only phase noise) to be treated systematically, by means of a master equation first used in the context of quantum optics by Burshtein. We use the Burshtein equation to obtain an exact expression for the two-level atom's steady-state resonance fluorescence spectrum, when the exciting laser exhibits phase telegraph noise. Some comparisons are made with results obtained from other noise models. Detailed treatments of the effects of other than phase noise are given in other papers.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.30.2381

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Three methods are given for imposing random telegraph phase or frequency noise on a stabilized cw laser thus giving explicit control of the coherence of the laser field. In the case of phase noise, the resulting laser spectrum consists of a carrier part with nearly Lorentzian shaped noise sidebands which have full-width at half maximum up to 14 MHz. Complete suppression of the carrier is possible if the phase is made to jump by π radians. Frequency telegraph noise results in a laser power spectrum that can be single or double peaked, depending on the relative sizes of the average dwell time and the frequency jump. The laser field has been produced for studies of noise in nonlinear spectroscopic interactions. Measurements of the resulting laser spectra are presented. As an example of the application of such a noisy laser, some results from studies of the dependence of two photon absorption on higher-order optical coherences are given.

Review of Scientific Instruments•Jul 1, 1994•3 citations
We discuss strong laser-atom interactions that are subjected to jump-type (random telegraph) random-phase noise. Physically, the jumps may arise from laser fluctuations, from collisions of various kinds, or from other external forces. Our discussion is carried out in two stages. First, direct and partially heuristic calculations determine the laser spectrum and also give a third-order differential equation for the average inversion of a two-level atom on resonance. At this stage a number of general features of the interaction are able to be studied easily. The optical analog of motional narrowing, for example, is clearly predicted. Second, we show that the theory of generalized Poisson processes allows laser-atom interactions in the presence of random telegraph noise of all kinds (not only phase noise) to be treated systematically, by means of a master equation first used in the context of quantum optics by Burshtein. We use the Burshtein equation to obtain an exact expression for the two-level atom's steady-state resonance fluorescence spectrum, when the exciting laser exhibits phase telegraph noise. Some comparisons are made with results obtained from other noise models. Detailed treatments of the effects of other than phase noise are given in other papers.
We extend our study of the effects of jump-type noise on laser-atom interactions to frequency-telegraph noise. Such noise can be used as a model of collisional effects, in which the atomic transition frequency randomly jumps, or as a model of finite laser bandwidth effects, in which the laser frequency exhibits random jumps. We show that these two types of frequency noise can be distinguished in light-scattering spectra. We also discuss examples which demonstrate both temporal and spectral motional narrowing, nonexponential correlations, and non-Lorentzian spectra. Its exact solubility in finite terms makes the frequency-telegraph noise model an attractive alternative to the white-noise Ornstein-Uhlenbeck frequency noise model which has been previously applied to laser-atom interactions.
Atomic excitation by strong noisy lasers with Kubo-Anderson--type fluctuations (randomly-interrupted-jump-process noise) is examined. A unified exact approach (based on the Bourret theorem) to phase and amplitude fluctuations is presented. Comparison with the Burshtien method, which was extensively used in recent works, is given. An exact analytical formula for the resolvent of the master Bloch equation in the general case, not necessarily only in resonant excitation, with simultaneous amplitude and phase fluctuations is derived. Some examples are analyzed.
We present a theoretical study of strong laser-atom interactions, when the laser field parameters are subjected to random processes. The atom is modelled by a two- and a three-level system, while the statistical fluctuations of the laser field are described by a pre-Gaussian model. The interaction of the laser-target is treated nonperturbatively by using the calculation method based on the Hermitian Floquet theory. Our aim consists in studying the kinetics of atomic relaxation induced by laser noise. In the resonant case with electric field strengths small with respect to the atomic unit electric strength, the present nonperturbative results are in agreement with those obtained within the rotating wave approximation of Eberly et al and Wodkiewicz et al for an atom modelled by a two-level system. We discuss some examples which demonstrate the destruction of atomic coherence by the noise, the regime of relaxation to the equilibrium state and the optical analogue of motional narrowing. We also give new results for two- and three-level systems, and for a strong laser field at exact resonance, in the case of phase, amplitude noises. The case of fluctuation due to collisions is also discussed. Our numerical results indicate that ionization effects, in the presence of laser noise, can lead to important modifications of the populations for strong laser-atom interactions. The changes in the ionization rates generated by the noise are also investigated.
A simple analytic expression for the double optical resonance spectrum obtained when a two-level atom is excited by a noisy pump laser is derived for two different models of laser noise, the phase diffusion model, and a model in which the laser bandwidth arises from a random telegraph signal in the laser phase. The double optical resonance spectrum is identical for both models and therefore double optical resonance experiments cannot distinguish between them. The importance of transients in cases where the laser bandwidth is comparable with or less than the atomic linewidth is stressed. Experiments which can distinguish between the two sources of bandwidth are identified.
Three methods are given for imposing random telegraph phase or frequency noise on a stabilized cw laser thus giving explicit control of the coherence of the laser field. In the case of phase noise, the resulting laser spectrum consists of a carrier part with nearly Lorentzian shaped noise sidebands which have full-width at half maximum up to 14 MHz. Complete suppression of the carrier is possible if the phase is made to jump by π radians. Frequency telegraph noise results in a laser power spectrum that can be single or double peaked, depending on the relative sizes of the average dwell time and the frequency jump. The laser field has been produced for studies of noise in nonlinear spectroscopic interactions. Measurements of the resulting laser spectra are presented. As an example of the application of such a noisy laser, some results from studies of the dependence of two photon absorption on higher-order optical coherences are given.