We report on experimental investigations of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in a ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ crystal. STIRAP drives complete, coherent population transfer between two hyperfine levels in the ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}$ ions. We investigate the variation of the STIRAP transfer efficiency with the experimental parameters: e.g., detunings, Rabi frequencies, and pulse delays. In addition, we also observe an alternative and efficient, adiabatic transfer process---i.e., $b$ -STIRAP---which occurs for a reversed sequence of laser pulses. We compare the efficiencies and time-resolved transfer dynamics of STIRAP and $b$ -STIRAP. The experimental data are supported by numerical simulations, also including the effect of laser frequency jitter. Our experimental data and the numerical simulations provide a clear and convincing demonstration of adiabatic excitations in a solid medium.We report on experimental investigations of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in a ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}$ crystal. STIRAP drives complete, coherent population transfer between two hyperfine levels in the ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}$ ions. We investigate the variation of the STIRAP transfer efficiency with the experimental parameters: e.g., detunings, Rabi frequencies, and pulse delays. In addition, we also observe an alternative and efficient, adiabatic transfer process---i.e., $b$-STIRAP---which occurs for a reversed sequence of laser pulses. We compare the efficiencies and time-resolved transfer dynamics of STIRAP and $b$-STIRAP. The experimental data are supported by numerical simulations, also including the effect of laser frequency jitter. Our experimental data and the numerical simulations provide a clear and convincing demonstration of adiabatic excitations in a solid medium.

Physical Review ASep 16, 200845 citations

Improving the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage efficiency for ultracold 6Li40K ground state molecules

Anbang Yang, Canming He, Xiaoyu Nie +4 more

Abstract Ultracold polar molecules represent a rapidly advancing platform at the forefront of quantum simulation, quantum computation, quantum chemistry, and precision measurement. We report an experimental investigation for improving the creation efficiency of ultracold 6Li40K ground state molecules using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP). We address laser amplitude/phase noise and polarization impurity to improve STIRAP efficiency. The phase noise of our two Raman lasers is suppressed effectively by extending the cavity length for the external-cavity diode lasers (ECDLs). Further, we find that even a weak polarization impurity significantly reduces the STIRAP efficiency on the single-photon resonance (Δ = 0) for 6Li40K, due to coupling to undesired molecular levels. However, STIRAP efficiencies over 90% can be achieved by increasing Δ/2π to 10 MHz, which is comparable to the excited-state scattering rate. Our work holds significance for achieving efficient STIRAP transfer in ultracold molecules with unresolved excited-state hyperfine splittings and large scattering rates.Abstract Ultracold polar molecules represent a rapidly advancing platform at the forefront of quantum simulation, quantum computation, quantum chemistry, and precision measurement. We report an experimental investigation for improving the creation efficiency of ultracold 6Li40K ground state molecules using stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP). We address laser amplitude/phase noise and polarization impurity to improve STIRAP efficiency. The phase noise of our two Raman lasers is suppressed effectively by extending the cavity length for the external-cavity diode lasers (ECDLs). Further, we find that even a weak polarization impurity significantly reduces the STIRAP efficiency on the single-photon resonance (Δ = 0) for 6Li40K, due to coupling to undesired molecular levels. However, STIRAP efficiencies over 90% can be achieved by increasing Δ/2π to 10 MHz, which is comparable to the excited-state scattering rate. Our work holds significance for achieving efficient STIRAP transfer in ultracold molecules with unresolved excited-state hyperfine splittings and large scattering rates.

Communications PhysicsOct 10, 20253 citations

STIRAP: some news and notes about its history

Klaas Bergmann

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 2, 20201 citation

Absolute Efficiency for STIRAP Excitation of Rydberg States

X. L. Lu, Yuan Sun, H. Metcalf

We have set up a STIRAP excitation mechanism for helium from the metastable 23S state into Rydberg states, via the intermediate level 33P . A uv laser at 389 nm and an ir laser at 780-815nm are used as the pump and Stokes beams respectively. Our purposes is to examine how well STIRAP works to efficiently produce the Rydberg atoms, and also to apply STIRAP for further coherent manipulations of helium. To examine the efficiency of the STIRAP process, we use the state selectivity of the light force on atoms to physically separate atoms with different internal states. We use the bichromatic force on a transition different from those used for Rydberg excitation. We do not measure an excitation efficiency close to the ~100% theoretical optimum but instead only about 50%. To gain more insight into this coherent process, an excitation path interferometer is envisioned that showes the expected interference, via the final population of the Rydberg level.We have set up a STIRAP excitation mechanism for helium from the metastable 23S state into Rydberg states, via the intermediate level 33P . A uv laser at 389 nm and an ir laser at 780-815nm are used as the pump and Stokes beams respectively. Our purposes is to examine how well STIRAP works to efficiently produce the Rydberg atoms, and also to apply STIRAP for further coherent manipulations of helium. To examine the efficiency of the STIRAP process, we use the state selectivity of the light force on atoms to physically separate atoms with different internal states. We use the bichromatic force on a transition different from those used for Rydberg excitation. We do not measure an excitation efficiency close to the ~100% theoretical optimum but instead only about 50%. To gain more insight into this coherent process, an excitation path interferometer is envisioned that showes the expected interference, via the final population of the Rydberg level.

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 16, 20110 citations

We report on experimental investigations of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in a

{\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{5}

crystal. STIRAP drives complete, coherent population transfer between two hyperfine levels in the

{\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}

ions. We investigate the variation of the STIRAP transfer efficiency with the experimental parameters: e.g., detunings, Rabi frequencies, and pulse delays. In addition, we also observe an alternative and efficient, adiabatic transfer process---i.e.,

b

-STIRAP---which occurs for a reversed sequence of laser pulses. We compare the efficiencies and time-resolved transfer dynamics of STIRAP and

b

-STIRAP. The experimental data are supported by numerical simulations, also including the effect of laser frequency jitter. Our experimental data and the numerical simulations provide a clear and convincing demonstration of adiabatic excitations in a solid medium.