A three-level Λ-type atomic system is pumped by an incoherent radiation field. The system lases without population inversion in the steady state. We analyze the inversionless gain and origin of the gain.
We consider a four-level atomic system with a degenerate or quasidegenerate ground-state doublet and two excited states. One of the upper levels is coupled to the ground doublet by a coherent field of variable strength, which we refer to as the Raman field, whose role is to create atomic coherence between the driven atomic states. The other higher lying state is coupled to the ground states when laser action develops. This model includes an incoherent pump mechanism to create some population in the top lasing state. In appropriate conditions, for the incoherent pump rate and the Raman field strength, the absorption profile of the laser transition develops gain features. We discuss the physical origin of this gain which we find to be the consequence of a population inversion between dressed atomic states. It is interesting to compare the results of this analysis with a similar study of a three-level lambda system which was previously recognized to yield lasing without inversion.1 In this case the appearance of gain can be attributed to the induced atomic coherence.
This thesis is concerned with the amplification of coherent radiation from an active medium under conditions which require no population inversion between the energy levels. Gain without population inversion may be obtained by creating a sufficiently strong correlation between pairs of atomic states, usually with the help of external sources of resonant electromagnetic radiation. Our main objective is to investigate two possible selections for the active medium: a three level atom in a lambda configuration and a Raman-driven four level model. For both we identify the conditions that lead to inversionless laser action, we calculate the small signal gain and investigate the physical mechanisms which are responsible for the emergence of gain. While the ultimate cause of the gain is quantum interference, we propose attractive alternative pictures based on the dressed states of the coupled atom-driving field systems. We address the important practical issue of the effect of atomic motion and related Doppler broadening on the inversionless gain profile and we also analyze the transient response of each laser model with the help of the appropriate Maxwell-Bloch equations. Finally we develop a fully quantum mechanical description of the lambda model and find that the radiated field can display unique quantum features which manifest themselves with sub-Poissonian photon fluctuations.