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European Quantum Electronics Conference (EQEC)

Multi-photon gain resonances and associated lasing in coherently-driven potassium atoms

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

Published Jan 1, 2003• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This study presents a more complete and wider ranging theoretical study of the amplification and lasing possibilities in alkaline atoms that takes advantage of the multiplicity of hyperfine and magnetic sublevels involved in the /sup 39/K 4S/sub 1/2/-4P/sub 1/2/ transition. Using drive and probe fields of appropriate polarizations and propagation directions, and optically pumped atoms, (n+m) multi-photon resonances involving absorption of n drive photons and simultaneous emission of m probe photons can be generated. Theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimental findings.

DOI
10.1109/eqec.2003.1313903

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This study presents a more complete and wider ranging theoretical study of the amplification and lasing possibilities in alkaline atoms that takes advantage of the multiplicity of hyperfine and magnetic sublevels involved in the /sup 39/K 4S/sub 1/2/-4P/sub 1/2/ transition. Using drive and probe fields of appropriate polarizations and propagation directions, and optically pumped atoms, (n+m) multi-photon resonances involving absorption of n drive photons and simultaneous emission of m probe photons can be generated. Theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimental findings.
We develop a theoretical model of two-photon amplification in laser-driven potassium atoms and use it to analyze the recent experiments reported by Pfister et al. [Phys. Rev. A 60, R4249 (1999)]. The model takes into account most of the essential factors influencing the amplification process, including the atomic hyperfine structure (which makes multiphoton emission possible) and the simultaneous interaction with intense drive and probe beams with arbitrary detunings. We determine the origin and analyze the properties of different multiphoton gain resonances that appear in the light-matter interaction. In particular, the influence of the drive and probe field amplitudes and detunings on the strength and frequency of the two-photon amplification resonance is studied in detail, showing clearly the differences with respect to the behavior of single-photon or other multiphoton amplification processes. In addition, we investigate interferences between different quantum pathways originating from the hyperfine structure and determine the conditions under which they can enhance or suppress multiphoton resonances. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with the observations, indicating that it can be used to understand recent experiments on two-photon lasing reported by Pfister et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4512 (2001)].
Two-photon amplification and lasing in laser-driven potassium atoms is investigated theoretically using a rigorous model that takes into account the hyperfine level structure of the atoms for arbitrary intensity drive and lasing fields. The model correctly predicts most features of the recent experiments, such as the characteristics of the multiphoton gain resonances and the two-photon laser emission intensity and line shape. In addition, it constitutes a new tool for exploring behaviors that are difficult to address experimentally, such as interference effects between different quantum pathways. In contrast to single-photon lasers, the laser emission line shape is frequency pushed and has the form of a closed curve composed of a stable and an unstable branch.
We show theoretically that it is possible to generate laser light based on two-photon and other high-order multiphoton processes when an atomic beam of optically driven potassium atoms crosses a high-finesse optical cavity. We use a rigorous model that takes into account all the atomic substates involved in the optical interactions and is valid for any drive and lasing field intensities. The polarizations of the drive and lasing fields are assumed to be fixed. Stable and unstable laser emission branches are obtained, which are represented as a function of cavity detuning and are analyzed in terms of the fundamental quantum processes yielding them. Closed-curve laser-emission profiles are obtained for multiphoton lasing based on processes involving more than one lasing photon. Two-photon laser emission branches show relatively long segments of stationary emission, combined in general with some segments of nonstationary emission, or with segments of mixture with three-photon emission processes. Rayleigh and hyper-Rayleigh processes can become simultaneously resonant, entailing in such case a large and fast transfer of population from the atomic initial ground sublevel to other ground sublevels with different zzz components of the total angular momentum. They could be useful in generating multiphoton correlated field states. In all cases the largest laser emission intensities are obtained from the highest-order processes, rather than the lowest. These results open the way to the understanding of experiments performed in the past years and suggest possibilities for more efficient and varied types of multiphoton laser operation.
Summary form only given. We present experimental evidence for novel quantum oscillators consisting of strongly driven potassium atoms contained in a high finesse optical resonator. These oscillators are based on two-photon stimulated emission, making their behavior and properties significantly different from conventional lasers, but making them harder to realize. The multi-level structure of alkali atoms is ideally suited for realizing such an oscillator since it offers a wealth of scattering processes that display strong resonant enhancement. Two-photon amplification arises from laser-driven resonant scattering between magnetic hyperfine levels. A novel configuration using different states of polarization and an orthogonal beam geometry allows discrimination between the numerous gain mechanisms.
When an atomic vapor interacts with an intense nearly resonant laser field, the ac Stark effect causes a profound modification of the weak-field absorption spectrum. Two of the induced spectral features can lead to amplification of a weak probe wave. We have previously measured in atomic sodium vapor high probe-wave gain (G = 38) due to the three-photon effect and a somewhat lower gain (G = 4) when the probe wave is detuned from the pump laser frequency by the inverse of the atomic response time.1 We present the results of an experimental and theoretical study of the energy coupling between two intense laser fields of comparable intensity through their interaction with an atomic vapor. In our experiments, a tunable alexandrite laser provides microsecond laser pulses of the required intensity that are nearly resonant with the 4s → 4p transition in potassium. We observed large energy transfer (50%) between the two waves at the nearly degenerate resonance and measured the intensity dependence of the coupling efficiency. Theoretical modeling of the interaction is based on a continued-fraction solution of the density-matrix equations of motion.
It is well known that driven two-level atoms can exhibit optical amplification.1 This fact has led to the recent demonstration of single-photon lasing in cell and atomic-beam type ensembles of two-level atoms.2 We show that the same simple two-level system can also be utilized as a two- or more-photon amplifying medium. The underlying physics can be understood in terms of the atom field dressed-state picture. When driven by a field detuned from the atomic resonance, significant population inversion between the dressed-state doublets can be created. In the dressed picture, single-photon lasing occurs between inverted sublevels of adjacent dressed-state doublets. Transitions between nonadjacent doublets are still inverted, but require two or more photons. In the degenerate case, the multiphoton emission frequencies differ from the single-photon emission frequency and can hence be selectively enhanced using an optical cavity. Due to the peculiar structure of dressed levels, the multiphoton emissions are all connected through near resonant intermediate states. The multiphoton emissions can also be viewed as a stimulated hyper-Raman scattering of successively higher order.