Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage with unequal couplings: Beyond two-photon resonance

Iavor I. Boradjiev, Nikolay V. Vitanov

Published May 20, 2010• 21 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a highly efficient tool for coherent population transfer in a chainwise-connected three-state quantum system. It is widely accepted that the two-photon resonance between the two end states of the chain is a crucial condition for STIRAP. This assumption is indeed correct when the two driving fields, pump and Stokes, produce nearly equal couplings for their respective transitions. We show analytically, supported by numeric examples, that when the pump and Stokes couplings differ significantly, the two-photon population transfer profile is distorted and its center is shifted away from the two-photon resonance; hence, the optimal operation of STIRAP demands a two-photon detuning. We derive simple analytic estimates for the center and the width of the two-photon profile. The results are of potential importance in situations when the pump and Stokes fields are of different physical natures (e.g., laser and cavity fields) or when two-photon resonance is unwanted (e.g., in the presence of residual light).

DOI
10.1103/physreva.81.053415

Related papers

Transition time in the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage technique

Iavor I. Boradjiev, Nikolay V. Vitanov

The technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is an efficient and robust technique for population transfer in three-state chain-wise connected quantum systems, 1-2-3. Here we analyze the transition time in STIRAP, that is the time it takes for the population to be transferred from state 1 to state 3. We derive a very simple formula for this transition time, which shows that it is inversely proportional to the nonadiabatic coupling $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\vartheta}\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}}({t}_{c})$, estimated at the time ${t}_{c}$ when the pump and Stokes couplings have the same value. Explicit formulas for several pulse shapes of the pump and Stokes fields are derived. Contrary to the naive expectation that the transition time might be proportional to the delay between the pump and Stokes pulses, or to the width of their overlap region, we find that the transition time is inversely proportional to the delay, i.e., larger delays produce faster transitions. We also calculate the transition time in two important variations of the STIRAP technique---bright-STIRAP and STIRAP in multistate systems---where similar features are found.

Physical Review A•Oct 8, 2010•14 citations

High-fidelity multistate stimulated Raman adiabatic passage assisted by shortcut fields

Nikolay V. Vitanov

Multistate stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a process which allows for adiabatic population transfer between the two ends of a chainwise-connected quantum system. The process requires large temporal areas of the driving pulsed fields (pump and Stokes) in order to suppress the nonadiabatic couplings and thereby to make adiabatic evolution possible. To this end, in the present paper a variation of multistate STIRAP, which accelerates and improves the population transfer, is presented. In addition to the usual pump and Stokes fields it uses shortcut fields applied between the states, which form the dark state of the system. The shortcuts cancel the couplings between the dark state and the other adiabatic states thereby resulting (in the ideal case) in a unit transition probability between the two end states of the chain. Specific examples of five-state systems formed of the magnetic sublevels of the transitions between two degenerate levels with angular momenta ${J}_{g}=2$ (of ground or lower level) and ${J}_{e}=1$ or ${J}_{e}=2$ (of excited or upper level) are considered in detail, for which the shortcut fields are derived analytically. The proposed method is simpler than the usual ``shortcuts to adiabaticity'' recipe, which prescribes shortcut fields between all states of the system, while the present proposal uses shortcut fields between the sublevels forming the dark state only. The results are of potential interest in applications where high-fidelity quantum control is essential, e.g., quantum information, atom optics, formation of ultracold molecules, cavity QED, etc.

arXiv:2004.08341•Physical Review A•Aug 10, 2020•24 citations

Population transfer by stimulated Raman scattering with delayed pulses: Analytical results for multilevel systems

George W. Coulston, Klaas Bergmann

Stimulated Raman scattering involving adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a proven technique for population transfer in three-level systems with strong oscillator strengths. We show that the STIRAP process should also yield high transfer efficiencies when the densities of states near the intermediate and final levels are high, provided certain criteria for the experimentally controllable parameters are met. We also show that high transfer efficiencies may even be possible when the pump and Stokes lasers can access levels outside of the three-level system. The criteria are derived with an approach that emphasizes the adiabatic nature of the transfer process in an eigenvector of the interaction Hamiltonian that resembles a trapped state. The results are compared to density matrix calculations.

The Journal of Chemical Physics•Mar 1, 1992•126 citations

Adiabatic population transfer in the D1 transition of K39

J. J. Fernández-Soler, J. L. Font, Ramon A. Vilaseca

Four-photon stimulated Raman adiabatic passage--like (STIRAP-like) processes in the frame of the ${D}_{1}$ optical transition line of atomic $^{39}\mathrm{K}$ are investigated theoretically by means of a rigorous model that takes into account all the atomic states involved in the interaction with the pump and Stokes light fields and is valid for any field intensities. The same sequential up-down-up-down transition involving two pump (up) and two Stokes (down) photons, going from the initial ground state $|F=2,M=+2\ensuremath{\rangle}$ to the final ground state $|F=1,M=0\ensuremath{\rangle}$, which was proven in the past to be very convenient for two-photon amplification and lasing, is considered here. The fact that two atomic states, one with $F=1$ and another with $F=2$, participate at each intermediate step of the multiphoton process makes the existence of an ideal unique adiabatic transfer state impossible, and at exact four-photon resonance the population-transfer efficiency to the final atomic state is low (below 60% in general, 80% in the best conditions). Nevertheless, it is shown that by choosing appropriate static detunings for the pump and Stokes fields with respect to the atomic transitions the system follows, sequentially, two adiabatic states, connected by an efficient diabatic passage, so that population-transfer efficiency asymptotically approaching 100% for increasing field amplitudes can be reached. These results are quite robust and suggest the possibility of using STIRAP (or STIRAP-like) pumping to, among other applications, increase the (presently very low) efficiency of two-photon amplification and lasing, a so far unfulfilled goal in quantum and nonlinear optics.

Physical Review A•Jun 22, 2018•1 citation

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage among degenerate-level manifolds

Z. Kis, A. Karpati, Bruce W. Shore +1 more

We examine the conditions needed to accomplish stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) when the three levels (ground $g$, excited $e$, and final $f$) are degenerate, with arbitrary couplings contributing to the pump-pulse interaction $(g\text{\ensuremath{-}}e)$ and to the Stokes-pulse interaction $(e\text{\ensuremath{-}}f)$. We show that in general a sufficient condition for complete population removal from the $g$ set of degenerate states for arbitrary, pure or mixed, initial state is that the degeneracies should not decrease along the sequence $g$, $e$, and $f$. Using a sequence of unitary transformations we demonstrate that when this condition holds it is possible to achieve the degenerate counterpart of conventional STIRAP, whereby adiabatic passage produces complete population transfer. Indeed, the system is equivalent to a set of independent three-state systems, in each of which a STIRAP procedure can be implemented. We also examine the cases when this degeneracy constraint does not hold and show what can be accomplished in those cases. For example, for angular momentum states when the degeneracy of the $g$ and $f$ levels is less than that of the $e$ level we show how a special choice for the pulse polarizations and phases can produce complete removal of population from the $g$ set. Our scheme can be a powerful tool for coherent control in degenerate systems, because of its robustness, when selective addressing of the states is not required or impossible. We illustrate the analysis with several analytically solvable examples, in which the degeneracies originate from angular momentum orientation, as expressed by magnetic sublevels.

arXiv:quant-ph/0412086•Physical Review A•Nov 11, 2004•39 citations

Adiabatic population transfer via multiple intermediate states

Nikolay V. Vitanov, Stig Stenholm

This paper discusses a generalization of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in which the single intermediate state is replaced by N intermediate states. Each of these states is connected to the initial state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{i}$ with a coupling proportional to the pump pulse and to the final state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{f}$ with a coupling proportional to the Stokes pulse, thus forming a parallel multi-\ensuremath{\Lambda} system. It is shown that the dark (trapped) state exists only when the ratio between each pump coupling and the respective Stokes coupling is the same for all intermediate states. We derive the conditions for existence of a more general adiabatic-transfer state that includes transient contributions from the intermediate states but still transfers the population from state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{i}$ to state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{f}$ in the adiabatic limit. We present various numerical examples for success and failure of multi-\ensuremath{\Lambda} STIRAP, which illustrate the analytic predictions. Our results suggest that in the general case of arbitrary couplings, it is most appropriate to tune the pump and Stokes lasers either just below or just above all intermediate states.

arXiv:quant-ph/9903096•Physical Review A•Nov 1, 1999•65 citations
The technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a highly efficient tool for coherent population transfer in a chainwise-connected three-state quantum system. It is widely accepted that the two-photon resonance between the two end states of the chain is a crucial condition for STIRAP. This assumption is indeed correct when the two driving fields, pump and Stokes, produce nearly equal couplings for their respective transitions. We show analytically, supported by numeric examples, that when the pump and Stokes couplings differ significantly, the two-photon population transfer profile is distorted and its center is shifted away from the two-photon resonance; hence, the optimal operation of STIRAP demands a two-photon detuning. We derive simple analytic estimates for the center and the width of the two-photon profile. The results are of potential importance in situations when the pump and Stokes fields are of different physical natures (e.g., laser and cavity fields) or when two-photon resonance is unwanted (e.g., in the presence of residual light).
The technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is an efficient and robust technique for population transfer in three-state chain-wise connected quantum systems, 1-2-3. Here we analyze the transition time in STIRAP, that is the time it takes for the population to be transferred from state 1 to state 3. We derive a very simple formula for this transition time, which shows that it is inversely proportional to the nonadiabatic coupling $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\vartheta}\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}}({t}_{c})$, estimated at the time tc{t}_{c}tc​ when the pump and Stokes couplings have the same value. Explicit formulas for several pulse shapes of the pump and Stokes fields are derived. Contrary to the naive expectation that the transition time might be proportional to the delay between the pump and Stokes pulses, or to the width of their overlap region, we find that the transition time is inversely proportional to the delay, i.e., larger delays produce faster transitions. We also calculate the transition time in two important variations of the STIRAP technique---bright-STIRAP and STIRAP in multistate systems---where similar features are found.
Multistate stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a process which allows for adiabatic population transfer between the two ends of a chainwise-connected quantum system. The process requires large temporal areas of the driving pulsed fields (pump and Stokes) in order to suppress the nonadiabatic couplings and thereby to make adiabatic evolution possible. To this end, in the present paper a variation of multistate STIRAP, which accelerates and improves the population transfer, is presented. In addition to the usual pump and Stokes fields it uses shortcut fields applied between the states, which form the dark state of the system. The shortcuts cancel the couplings between the dark state and the other adiabatic states thereby resulting (in the ideal case) in a unit transition probability between the two end states of the chain. Specific examples of five-state systems formed of the magnetic sublevels of the transitions between two degenerate levels with angular momenta Jg=2{J}_{g}=2Jg​=2 (of ground or lower level) and Je=1{J}_{e}=1Je​=1 or Je=2{J}_{e}=2Je​=2 (of excited or upper level) are considered in detail, for which the shortcut fields are derived analytically. The proposed method is simpler than the usual ``shortcuts to adiabaticity'' recipe, which prescribes shortcut fields between all states of the system, while the present proposal uses shortcut fields between the sublevels forming the dark state only. The results are of potential interest in applications where high-fidelity quantum control is essential, e.g., quantum information, atom optics, formation of ultracold molecules, cavity QED, etc.
Stimulated Raman scattering involving adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a proven technique for population transfer in three-level systems with strong oscillator strengths. We show that the STIRAP process should also yield high transfer efficiencies when the densities of states near the intermediate and final levels are high, provided certain criteria for the experimentally controllable parameters are met. We also show that high transfer efficiencies may even be possible when the pump and Stokes lasers can access levels outside of the three-level system. The criteria are derived with an approach that emphasizes the adiabatic nature of the transfer process in an eigenvector of the interaction Hamiltonian that resembles a trapped state. The results are compared to density matrix calculations.
Four-photon stimulated Raman adiabatic passage--like (STIRAP-like) processes in the frame of the D1{D}_{1}D1​ optical transition line of atomic 39K^{39}\mathrm{K}39K are investigated theoretically by means of a rigorous model that takes into account all the atomic states involved in the interaction with the pump and Stokes light fields and is valid for any field intensities. The same sequential up-down-up-down transition involving two pump (up) and two Stokes (down) photons, going from the initial ground state $|F=2,M=+2\ensuremath{\rangle}$ to the final ground state $|F=1,M=0\ensuremath{\rangle}$, which was proven in the past to be very convenient for two-photon amplification and lasing, is considered here. The fact that two atomic states, one with F=1F=1F=1 and another with F=2F=2F=2, participate at each intermediate step of the multiphoton process makes the existence of an ideal unique adiabatic transfer state impossible, and at exact four-photon resonance the population-transfer efficiency to the final atomic state is low (below 60% in general, 80% in the best conditions). Nevertheless, it is shown that by choosing appropriate static detunings for the pump and Stokes fields with respect to the atomic transitions the system follows, sequentially, two adiabatic states, connected by an efficient diabatic passage, so that population-transfer efficiency asymptotically approaching 100% for increasing field amplitudes can be reached. These results are quite robust and suggest the possibility of using STIRAP (or STIRAP-like) pumping to, among other applications, increase the (presently very low) efficiency of two-photon amplification and lasing, a so far unfulfilled goal in quantum and nonlinear optics.
We examine the conditions needed to accomplish stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) when the three levels (ground ggg, excited eee, and final fff) are degenerate, with arbitrary couplings contributing to the pump-pulse interaction $(g\text{\ensuremath{-}}e)$ and to the Stokes-pulse interaction $(e\text{\ensuremath{-}}f)$. We show that in general a sufficient condition for complete population removal from the ggg set of degenerate states for arbitrary, pure or mixed, initial state is that the degeneracies should not decrease along the sequence ggg, eee, and fff. Using a sequence of unitary transformations we demonstrate that when this condition holds it is possible to achieve the degenerate counterpart of conventional STIRAP, whereby adiabatic passage produces complete population transfer. Indeed, the system is equivalent to a set of independent three-state systems, in each of which a STIRAP procedure can be implemented. We also examine the cases when this degeneracy constraint does not hold and show what can be accomplished in those cases. For example, for angular momentum states when the degeneracy of the ggg and fff levels is less than that of the eee level we show how a special choice for the pulse polarizations and phases can produce complete removal of population from the ggg set. Our scheme can be a powerful tool for coherent control in degenerate systems, because of its robustness, when selective addressing of the states is not required or impossible. We illustrate the analysis with several analytically solvable examples, in which the degeneracies originate from angular momentum orientation, as expressed by magnetic sublevels.
This paper discusses a generalization of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in which the single intermediate state is replaced by N intermediate states. Each of these states is connected to the initial state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{i}$ with a coupling proportional to the pump pulse and to the final state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{f}$ with a coupling proportional to the Stokes pulse, thus forming a parallel multi-\ensuremath{\Lambda} system. It is shown that the dark (trapped) state exists only when the ratio between each pump coupling and the respective Stokes coupling is the same for all intermediate states. We derive the conditions for existence of a more general adiabatic-transfer state that includes transient contributions from the intermediate states but still transfers the population from state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{i}$ to state ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{f}$ in the adiabatic limit. We present various numerical examples for success and failure of multi-\ensuremath{\Lambda} STIRAP, which illustrate the analytic predictions. Our results suggest that in the general case of arbitrary couplings, it is most appropriate to tune the pump and Stokes lasers either just below or just above all intermediate states.