We formulate a second-quantized theory of propagation in laser-active media and apply it to the description of amplified spontaneous emission for the case of homogeneously broadened three-level atoms in a rodlike geometry with arbitrary Fresnel number. The electromagnetic field is treated in paraxial approximation by an ad hoc quantization scheme, and spontaneous emission into off-axis modes is described by noise operator methods. We show by a scaling (dimensional) analysis how to derive the characteristic fields and lengths for superfluorescence and amplified spontaneous emission. The results show that dye media can be used as experimental analogs for x-ray lasers.
We formulate a second-quantized theory of propagation in laser-active media and apply it to the description of amplified spontaneous emission for the case of homogeneously broadened three-level atoms in a rodlike geometry with arbitrary Fresnel number. The electromagnetic field is treated in paraxial approximation by an ad hoc quantization scheme, and spontaneous emission into off-axis modes is described by noise operator methods. We show by a scaling (dimensional) analysis how to derive the characteristic fields and lengths for superfluorescence and amplified spontaneous emission. The results show that dye media can be used as experimental analogs for x-ray lasers.
We present a Hamiltonian-based, 3D theory in paraxial approximation for X-ray amplified spontaneous emission (or superfluorescence) pumped by X-ray free-electron laser. The seed field is included. The ensemble-averaged Heisenberg equations become Maxwell-Bloch equations if factorization of operator products is assumed and are adequate when the stimulated emission is dominant. The spontaneous emission is accounted for by adding a random noise term to the atomic coherence, the magnitude of which is uniquely determined from the fact that the expectation value of the normally-ordered product electric field operators associated with an atom does not factorize. The modified Maxwell-Bloch equation we developed reproduces the results of the previous 1D theory based on correlation functions.
An approach to modeling the dynamics of x-ray amplified spontaneous emission and superfluorescence, the phenomenon of collective x-ray emission initiated by intense pulses of x-ray free-electron lasers, is developed based on stochastic partial differential equations. The equations are derived from first principles, and the relevant approximations, derivation steps, and extensions specific to stimulated x-ray emission are presented. The resulting equations take the form of three-dimensional generalized Maxwell-Bloch equations augmented with noise terms for both field and atomic variables. The derived noise terms possess specific correlation properties that enable the correct reconstruction of spontaneous emission. Consequently, the developed theoretical formalism is universally suitable for describing all stages of stimulated x-ray emission: spontaneous emission, amplified spontaneous emission, and superfluorescence. We present numerical examples that illustrate various properties of the emitted field, including spatiotemporal coherence and spectral-angular and polarization characteristics. We anticipate that the proposed theoretical framework will establish a robust foundation for interpreting measurements in stimulated x-ray emission spectroscopy, modeling x-ray laser oscillators, and describing other experiments leveraging x-ray superfluorescence.
An approach to modeling the dynamics of x-ray amplified spontaneous emission and superfluorescence -- the phenomenon of collective x-ray emission initiated by intense pulses of X-ray Free Electron Lasers -- is developed based on stochastic partial differential equations. The equations are derived from first principles, and the relevant approximations, derivation steps, and extensions specific to stimulated x-ray emission are presented. The resulting equations take the form of three-dimensional generalized Maxwell-Bloch equations augmented with noise terms for both field and atomic variables. The derived noise terms possess specific correlation properties that enable the correct reconstruction of spontaneous emission. Consequently, the developed theoretical formalism is universally suitable for describing all stages of stimulated x-ray emission: spontaneous emission, amplified spontaneous emission, and superfluorescence. We present numerical examples that illustrate various properties of the emitted field, including spatio-temporal coherence, spectral-angular and polarization characteristics. We anticipate that the proposed theoretical framework will establish a robust foundation for interpreting measurements in stimulated x-ray emission spectroscopy, modeling x-ray laser oscillators, and describing other experiments leveraging x-ray superfluorescence.
Paraxial Maxwell-Bloch theory is used to describe amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in strongly inverted media. Counterpropagation of waves coupled through gain saturation and diffraction, and pumping by a laser beam which propagates transverse to the amplifier are included in the treatment. The reactive part of the medium polarization is calculated by population-rate equations in the limit of rapid dephasing of the atomic dipoles. The spontaneous emission noise source needed for the numerical simulation of Maxwell's equations is derived from microscopic theory by coarse-graining, thereby establishing the compatibility of the spherically symmetric microscopic source with paraxial propagation theory. The three coupled Maxwell equations for the counterpropagating ASE waves and the transversely propagating pump wave are solved numerically in time and two spatial dimensions. This simulation is used to calculate the longitudinal profile of the transverse fluorescence, which measures the saturation of the gain, the longitudinal profile of the transmitted pump wave, which measures the saturation of pump absorption, and the transverse coherence function of the radiation emitted from the ends of the amplifier.
We have studied the quantum-statistical properties of superfluorescence (SF) and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) for dense media (media of densities corresponding to many atoms, on the average, within a cubic resonance wavelength). We use the Langevin equations of motion, obtained from a fully quantized model that takes into account induced near dipole-dipole interactions associated with dense media, together with the coupled Maxwell equation, to formulate a stochastic calculation ensemble. Quantum Monte Carlo methods are used in conjunction with the stochastic model, to conduct a statistical analysis of phase waves for this system. Results are presented for the phase-wave density, delay time, and peak-intensity fluctuations. The transition from SF to ASE is treated using the stochastic model.
A recently introduced theoretical framework for modeling the dynamics of x-ray amplified spontaneous emission is based on stochastic sampling of the density matrix of quantum emitters and the radiation field, similarly to other phase-space sampling techniques. While based on first principles and providing valuable theoretical insights, the original stochastic differential equations exhibit divergences and numerical instabilities. Here, we resolve this issue by accounting the stochastic components perturbatively. The refined formalism accurately reproduces the properties of spontaneous emission and proves universally applicable for describing all stages of collective x-ray emission in paraxial geometry, including spontaneous emission, amplified spontaneous emission, and the nonlinear regime. Through numerical examples, we analyze key features of superfluorescence in a one-dimensional approximation. Importantly, single realizations of the underlying stochastic equations can be fully interpreted as individual experimental observations of superfluorescence.