The steady-state populations and the absorption spectrum of a V-type three-level atom driven by a strong coherent field and a weak stochastic one simultaneously are investigated. The population inversion in bare-state and dressed-state bases can happen significantly due to the effect of the stochastic field. A relation between the level gap of both atomic excited states and the Rabi frequency is found to decide in which excited state the population is larger than in another one for the same frequency detuning δ between the coherent and the stochastic fields. The line profiles of the absorption spectrum are strongly dependent on the frequency detuning δ. Different lineshapes such as a sharp emission peak (gain), an absorption peak or a dispersion-like peak can be exhibited at the line centre for different δ. Asymmetrical spectral features and line narrowing can be reached by adjusting δ and the Rabi frequency. Probe gain in sidebands can occur due to the unbalanced population distribution in dressed states.
The steady-state populations and the absorption spectrum of a V-type three-level atom driven by a strong coherent field and a weak stochastic one simultaneously are investigated. The population inversion in bare-state and dressed-state bases can happen significantly due to the effect of the stochastic field. A relation between the level gap of both atomic excited states and the Rabi frequency is found to decide in which excited state the population is larger than in another one for the same frequency detuning δ between the coherent and the stochastic fields. The line profiles of the absorption spectrum are strongly dependent on the frequency detuning δ. Different lineshapes such as a sharp emission peak (gain), an absorption peak or a dispersion-like peak can be exhibited at the line centre for different δ. Asymmetrical spectral features and line narrowing can be reached by adjusting δ and the Rabi frequency. Probe gain in sidebands can occur due to the unbalanced population distribution in dressed states.
The steady-state populations, the fluorescent intensity-intensity correlation function, and the resonance fluorescence and absorption spectra of a two-level atom bichromatically driven by a strong, coherent field and a weak, stochastic field with tunable carrier frequency and wide bandwidth are investigated analytically. Surprisingly, the population is inverted if the stochastic field is appropriately detuned from the coherent field, which is assumed resonant with the atomic transition. The resonance fluorescence spectrum still displays a three-peaked structure, but with linewidths and heights that depend upon the frequency and bandwidth of the stochastic field as well as the intensities of both fields. Asymmetric fluorescence spectra are found when the coherent field is detuned from the atomic resonance frequency. The intensity-intensity correlation function varies dramatically with the carrier frequency of the stochastic field. For appropriate choices of the parameters, the fluorescent emission of the atom is antibunched for all time. The absorption spectral features also deviate significantly from those of the monochromatically driven atom. By appropriately tuning the stochastic field, one finds that a sharp peak (absorption) or hole (gain) can occur at line center and the probe beam can be amplified at either the lower-frequency Rabi sideband or the higher-frequency sideband and the inversionless gain can be enhanced.
A cavity-modified master equation is derived for a coherently driven, V-type three-level atom coupled to a single-mode cavity in the bad-cavity limit. We show that population inversion in both the bare- and dressed-state bases may be achieved, originating from the enhancement of the atom-cavity interaction when the cavity is resonant with an atomic dressed-state transition. The atomic populations in the dressed-state representation are analyzed in terms of the cavity-modified transition rates. The atomic fluorescence spectrum and probe absorption spectrum are also investigated, and it is found that the spectral profiles may be controlled by adjusting the cavity frequency. Peak suppression and line narrowing occur under the appropriate conditions.
A cavity-modified master equation is derived for a coherently driven two-level atom coupled to a single-mode cavity in the bad cavity limit, in which the cavity frequency is tuned to either the center or one of the sidebands of the Mollow triplet. The atomic populations in both the bare- and dressed-state representations are analyzed in terms of the cavity-modified transition rates. In the bare-state basis, the role of the cavity may be interpreted as enhancing the stimulated absorption of the atom while suppressing the stimulated emission. The bare-state population may thus be inverted under appropriate conditions. The dressed-state inversion, however, originates from the enhancement of the atom-cavity interaction when the cavity is resonant with the atomic dressed-state transition. We show that two-phase quadratures of the atomic polarization decay at different rates. The decay of the in-phase (or out-of-phase) quadrature may be greatly inhibited as the driving intensity increases, depending on the cavity resonant frequency. The spectrum of the atomic fluorescence emitted out the side of the cavity is also studied. The spectral profiles are sensitive to the cavity frequency. When the cavity frequency is tuned to the center of the Mollow resonances, the fluorescence spectrum is symmetrical with three peaks whose linewidths and heights are intensity dependent. When the cavity frequency is tuned to one of the Mollow sidebands, however, it is asymmetric, and the central peak and the sideband on resonance with the cavity can be significantly suppressed for strong driving fields. All three spectral lines can be narrowed by increasing the Rabi frequency. The physics of these striking spectral features is explored in the dressed-state basis. We also investigate the probe absorption spectrum. When the cavity frequency is tuned to the center of the Mollow fluorescence triplet, the central component exhibits a Lorentzian line shape, while the side bands show the Rayleigh-wing line shape. Probe gain may occur at line center due to cavity-induced, bare-state population inversion. When the cavity is tuned to resonance with one sideband, only two sidebands, with Lorentzian profiles, dominate. Gain can occur at the sideband far off resonant with the cavity. The sideband gain is a consequence of an unbalanced dressed-state population distribution.
The coherent coupling of atomic levels under the action of driving electromagnetic fields is known to create unusual and interesting effects, such as the well-known population trapping phenomenon and subnatural line narrowing. In this paper we discuss two alternative configurations of three-level atoms, the cascade model and the inverted-V (lambda) model, in an effort to provide alternative options for experimental tests. In both cases we focus on the fluorescent emission spectrum of atom driven by two resonant fields and on the absorption spectrum of a weak probe passing through a gas in such a driven system. Subnatural line narrowing can be obtained from the cascade system but not from the lambda system. The lambda system, however, is characterized by strong population trapping so that it is not suitable for fluorescence studies (except out of resonance) because of its strongly reduced emission rate. The absorption spectrum of a weak probe displays gain features under high field conditions which suggest that useful amplification of a probe or laser-like emission should be possible over appropriate frequency ranges. We give a physical interpretation of the origin of the gain and explain why that in the case of a lambda system, but not a cascade system, steady-state population inversion can be obtained between both excited states relative to the lowest state of the atom. We also discuss the effect of Doppler broadening on the predicted emission and absorption lineshapes.
A comprehensive study is made of the absorption spectrum of a weak-probe beam irradiating a two-level atom damped by a broadband squeezed vacuum and driven by a strong laser field. We show that for a resonant driving field whose phase does not coincide with the principal directions of the squeezing ellipse, the absorption spectrum is asymmetric and exhibits absorption-emission profiles at the Rabi sidebands. We find that this feature arises from unequal populations of the dressed states of the system, which occur when all components of the Bloch vector are coupled to the driving field. A symmetric spectrum with dispersionlike profiles at the Rabi sidebands is revealed for an off-resonant driving field. Furthermore, the spectrum may exhibit an emission profile at the central frequency, signifying an amplification of the probe beam. We point out that the amplification at the central component is not attributed to population inversion in both the atomic bare states and in the dressed atomic states. We find that the amplification originates from the coherent population oscillations and is impossible in the absence of the squeezed vacuum. In addition, we examine how these features are affected by the detuning of the driving field and an imperfect squeezed vacuum.
We examine the absorption of a weak probe beam by a laser driven V-type atom with a pair of closely lying excited levels, where both the driving and probe lasers interact simultaneously with the two transitions. The effects of quantum interference among decay channels on the absorption spectra are also investigated. We introduce dipole moments in the dressed-state representation and the Hamiltonian in terms of the dressed states describing the interaction between the probe and the atom. In the degenerate case, features similar to that of a driven two-level atomic system are found due to some dark transitions in the spontaneous emission and the fact that the probe beam only detects certain transitions. In the nondegenerate case, the absorption spectrum is strongly influenced by the degree of quantum interference, resulting in different line shapes for emission peaks, absorption peaks, and dispersionlike profiles. The effect of probe polarization on the absorption spectrum is also investigated.