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

Nonadiabatic optical transitions as a turn-on switch for pulse shaping

F. A. Hashmi, M. A. Bouchène

Published Oct 26, 2010• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A strong nonresonant, asymmetric ultrashort pulse drives an atomic transition and causes a complete population inversion because of a sudden nonadiabatic jump. This jump is probed in real time by propagating a weak ultrashort pulse in the system which is resonant on an adjacent transition. The probe at the exit of the medium presents an oscillatory structure with the nonadiabatic jump marked in time by the onset of oscillations. The nonadiabatic jump thus acts as a ``turn-on'' switch for the shaping of the probe.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.82.043432

Related papers

Spectral and temporal modifications of a weak resonant ultrashort pulse propagating in a two-level system driven by a strong nonresonant field

Jean-Christophe Delagnes, F. A. Hashmi, M. A. Bouchène

An ultrashort strong nonresonant pulse induces transient phenomena in an optically thick medium consisting of an ensemble of nondegenerate two-level atoms (nonadiabatic transitions, transient light-shifts,\dots{}). A weak resonant pulse propagates in the system and we study theoretically and numerically the temporal and spectral modifications that are induced. Moreover, we show that the atomic media, modified by a strong pulse can act as a ``pulse-shaper'' device that can modify, in a controlled way, the shape of the weak pulse. It maps out the transient light shift induced by the strong pulse and reduces efficiently the long time dispersion tail of the weak pulse. We study and discuss the physical phenomena that allow such shaping effects and the necessary conditions to satisfy in order to observe them.

Physical Review A•Nov 30, 2006•7 citations

Effect of a transient light shift on the propagation of an ultrashort pulse in a resonant atomic medium

Jean-Christophe Delagnes, M. A. Bouchène

An ultrashort weak pulse that propagates resonantly on the $\ensuremath{\mid}a⟩\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mid}b⟩$ transition of a three-level system $(\ensuremath{\mid}a⟩,\ensuremath{\mid}b⟩,\ensuremath{\mid}c⟩)$ experiences reshaping effects on a time scale longer than its duration. When a strong field is applied (nonresonantly) on the $\ensuremath{\mid}b⟩\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mid}c⟩$ transition, important light shifts are induced. We have theoretically studied the novel behavior of both the medium and weak propagating laser pulses in such conditions. For the transmitted field profile, drastic changes occur: at long times, efficient reduction of the distortion is obtained, while strong oscillations appear for short times, mapping out the dynamical light shift. These shaping effects, which are accompanied by new features in the spectrum for the propagating pulse, are interpreted as the result of the interference between incident field and induced dipole radiated field, whose frequency sweeps in time because of the induced light shift.

Physical Review A•Jun 22, 2004•8 citations

Phase control of nonadiabatic optical transitions

F. A. Hashmi, M. A. Bouchène

We theoretically study the interaction of two time delayed, phase-locked, and nonresonant pulses with a two-level system in the strong field regime. The population transfer is shown to be extremely sensitive to the phase shift $\ensuremath{\phi}$ between the pulses, with efficient population transfer taking place only for $\ensuremath{\phi}$ close to $\ensuremath{\pi}$. This effect is explained in terms of nonadiabatic jump and rapid adiabatic passage phenomena.

Physical Review A•Feb 18, 2009•13 citations

Inversion in an extended three-level medium produced by adiabatic population transfer

Vasily G. Arkhipkin, Ivan V. Timofeev

Features of the adiabatic population transfer are studied with the spatial evolution of interacting pulses propagating in an optically dense medium of three-level Λ-atoms taken into account. A self-consistent analytical solution describing the spatial-temporal dynamics of interacting short pulses under the conditions of adiabatic population transfer is constructed in the adiabatic approximation with consideration for the first nonadiabatic correction. Practically complete inversion on a forbidden transition determined by coherent (adiabatic) population transfer is shown to take place over a length of the medium, which may exceed the absorption length of a weak probing pulse in the absence of control radiation on the adjacent transition by several orders of magnitude.

Optics and Spectroscopy•Nov 1, 2001•2 citations

Complete population inversion by a phase jump: an exactly soluble model

Nikolay V. Vitanov

An exact analytic solution to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation is presented for a two-state quantum system coherently driven by a nonresonant pulsed external field. The pulse has a hyperbolic-secant shape, with a sign jump (i.e. a phase step of π) at its maximum, which nullifies the overall pulse area. It is shown that off resonance, for detunings larger than the pulse bandwidth, the transition probability approaches unity as the field intensity increases. The population inversion is robust against small-to-moderate variations in the detuning and the intensity, a feature reminiscent of adiabatic passage. The population inversion, however, is not of adiabatic nature; it is induced by δ-function-shaped nonadiabatic coupling with an area of nearly π. An estimate of the required experimental resources shows that implementation with shaped femtosecond pulses is feasible.

New Journal of Physics•Mar 16, 2007•43 citations

Quantum Controllable Optical Selectivity of Single-Photon Excitation in a Dense Medium

Han Xu, Heping Zeng

Selective multiphoton excitations can be achieved by tailoring the driving pulses to manipulate the outcome of the light-matter interaction. While single-photon transitions of single atoms driven by ultrashort pulses, dependent mainly on the resonant frequency component, and thus possesses no optical selectivity no matter how the excitation pulse shapes [1]. Interestingly, when an ultrashort pulse interacts with an optically dense medium, quantum controllable optical selectivity can be achieved in a single-photon process.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations
A strong nonresonant, asymmetric ultrashort pulse drives an atomic transition and causes a complete population inversion because of a sudden nonadiabatic jump. This jump is probed in real time by propagating a weak ultrashort pulse in the system which is resonant on an adjacent transition. The probe at the exit of the medium presents an oscillatory structure with the nonadiabatic jump marked in time by the onset of oscillations. The nonadiabatic jump thus acts as a ``turn-on'' switch for the shaping of the probe.
An ultrashort strong nonresonant pulse induces transient phenomena in an optically thick medium consisting of an ensemble of nondegenerate two-level atoms (nonadiabatic transitions, transient light-shifts,\dots{}). A weak resonant pulse propagates in the system and we study theoretically and numerically the temporal and spectral modifications that are induced. Moreover, we show that the atomic media, modified by a strong pulse can act as a ``pulse-shaper'' device that can modify, in a controlled way, the shape of the weak pulse. It maps out the transient light shift induced by the strong pulse and reduces efficiently the long time dispersion tail of the weak pulse. We study and discuss the physical phenomena that allow such shaping effects and the necessary conditions to satisfy in order to observe them.
An ultrashort weak pulse that propagates resonantly on the $\ensuremath{\mid}a⟩\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mid}b⟩$ transition of a three-level system $(\ensuremath{\mid}a⟩,\ensuremath{\mid}b⟩,\ensuremath{\mid}c⟩)$ experiences reshaping effects on a time scale longer than its duration. When a strong field is applied (nonresonantly) on the $\ensuremath{\mid}b⟩\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mid}c⟩$ transition, important light shifts are induced. We have theoretically studied the novel behavior of both the medium and weak propagating laser pulses in such conditions. For the transmitted field profile, drastic changes occur: at long times, efficient reduction of the distortion is obtained, while strong oscillations appear for short times, mapping out the dynamical light shift. These shaping effects, which are accompanied by new features in the spectrum for the propagating pulse, are interpreted as the result of the interference between incident field and induced dipole radiated field, whose frequency sweeps in time because of the induced light shift.
We theoretically study the interaction of two time delayed, phase-locked, and nonresonant pulses with a two-level system in the strong field regime. The population transfer is shown to be extremely sensitive to the phase shift $\ensuremath{\phi}$ between the pulses, with efficient population transfer taking place only for $\ensuremath{\phi}$ close to $\ensuremath{\pi}$. This effect is explained in terms of nonadiabatic jump and rapid adiabatic passage phenomena.
Features of the adiabatic population transfer are studied with the spatial evolution of interacting pulses propagating in an optically dense medium of three-level Λ-atoms taken into account. A self-consistent analytical solution describing the spatial-temporal dynamics of interacting short pulses under the conditions of adiabatic population transfer is constructed in the adiabatic approximation with consideration for the first nonadiabatic correction. Practically complete inversion on a forbidden transition determined by coherent (adiabatic) population transfer is shown to take place over a length of the medium, which may exceed the absorption length of a weak probing pulse in the absence of control radiation on the adjacent transition by several orders of magnitude.
An exact analytic solution to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation is presented for a two-state quantum system coherently driven by a nonresonant pulsed external field. The pulse has a hyperbolic-secant shape, with a sign jump (i.e. a phase step of π) at its maximum, which nullifies the overall pulse area. It is shown that off resonance, for detunings larger than the pulse bandwidth, the transition probability approaches unity as the field intensity increases. The population inversion is robust against small-to-moderate variations in the detuning and the intensity, a feature reminiscent of adiabatic passage. The population inversion, however, is not of adiabatic nature; it is induced by δ-function-shaped nonadiabatic coupling with an area of nearly π. An estimate of the required experimental resources shows that implementation with shaped femtosecond pulses is feasible.
Selective multiphoton excitations can be achieved by tailoring the driving pulses to manipulate the outcome of the light-matter interaction. While single-photon transitions of single atoms driven by ultrashort pulses, dependent mainly on the resonant frequency component, and thus possesses no optical selectivity no matter how the excitation pulse shapes [1]. Interestingly, when an ultrashort pulse interacts with an optically dense medium, quantum controllable optical selectivity can be achieved in a single-photon process.