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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Enhancing superfluorescence via decay interference

Mihai Macovei

Published Jan 10, 2007• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The superfluorescence emission in a pumped four-level multiparticle atomic sample is investigated. The characteristics of the superfluorescence radiation are obtained. We show that the decay interference among the involved atomic transitions leads to shorter delay times and faster decay rates.
DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/40/2/011

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Numerical simulations of an extended sample of three-level atoms with slow dipole dephasing exhibit a superfluorescent pulse shortly after incoherent pumping begins. The operator Maxwell-Bloch equations are simulated by classical Langevin equations. The counterpropagating fields are solved for in the (one-dimensional) limit of the Fresnel number near unity, with open-end boundary conditions. An initial, ``quiet'' buildup of the inversion is followed by superfluorescence. Oscillation of the populations, coherences, and fields is observed. The superfluorescence delay time is compared with analytical predictions made in the linear regime. A transition to amplified spontaneous emission is found as the pump rate is decreased.
A dense sample of atomic rubidium vapor excited by a short (4 ps) transform-limited laser pulse two-photon resonant with the 5S-5D transition in a large Fresnel number geometry emits a delayed omnidirectional infrared superfluorescence pulse (coherent flash) on the 5D-6P transition. This superfluorescence emission involves a coherent population transfer to the 6P level and results in prompt directional yoked UV emission and coherent population transfer back to the ground 5S state. This emission completes the process of parametric four-wave mixing, selectively involving only those atoms on the 6P level whose 5D-6P emission satisfies the phase-matching condition. The unique feature of this four-wave mixing radiation is that it occurs after the termination of the pump pulse, as evidenced by direct measurement of emission timing. The multidirectional character of superfluorescent emission is confirmed by the observation of non-collinear parametric four-wave mixing when exciting the sample by two simultaneous overlapping pulses, for a wide range of beam angles. Also observed and investigated is superfluorescent transient diffraction that appears when the sample is excited by a sequence of three laser pulses.
We study the superfluorescence (SF) from a gas of rubidium atoms. The atoms of a dense vapor are excited to the 5D5D5D state from the 5S5S5S state by a two-photon process driven by 100-fs laser pulses. The atoms decay to the 6P6P6P state and then to the 5S5S5S state. The SF emission at 420 nm on the 6P6P6P--5S5S5S transition is recorded by a streak camera with picosecond time resolution. The time duration of the generated SF is tens of picoseconds, which is much shorter than the time scale of the usual relaxation processes, including spontaneous emission and atomic coherence dephasing. The dependence of the time delay between the reference input pulse and SF is measured as a function of laser power. The experimental data are described quantitatively by a simulation based on the semiclassical atom-field interaction theory. The observed change in scaling laws for the peak intensity and delay time can be elucidated by an SF theory in which the sample length is larger than the cooperation length.
We have observed and characterized 501.6 nm collective spontaneous emission (superfluorescence) following 1s(2) → 1s3p excitation of helium atoms by 53.7 nm free-electron laser radiation. Emitted pulse energies of up to 100 nJ are observed, corresponding to a photon number conversion efficiency of up to 10%. We observe the peak intensity to scale as ρ(2) and the emitted pulse width and delay to scale as ρ(-1), where ρ is the atom number density. Emitted pulses as short as 1 ps are observed, which corresponds to a rate around 75,000 times faster than the spontaneous 1s3p → 1s2s decay rate. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of superfluorescence following pumping in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength region, and extension of the technique to the generation of extreme ultraviolet and x-ray superfluorescence pulses should be straightforward by using suitable atomic systems and pump wavelengths.