An investigation of a strongly driven multi-level atomic system

Jana Bender, Patrick Mischke, Tanita Klas +4 more

We experimentally study the level mixing, splitting and repulsion of an optically driven atomic multi-level system under two competing interactions. The strength of the optical coupling is increased until it surpasses the atomic hyperfine interaction responsible for mixing the magnetic substates. Due to the multi-level character of the coupled state space, the level shifts exhibit complex behavior reminiscent of the Paschen-Back effect. Our results show that multi-level effects can have significant influence for strong external drive, differing from a simple model of effective non-interacting two-level systems. These results highlight the relevance of imperfections of the light polarization or initial state preparation in strongly optically driven systems.

Jana Bender, Patrick Mischke, Tanita Klas +4 more

Abstract We experimentally study the level mixing, splitting and repulsion of an optically driven atomic multi-level system under two competing interactions. The strength of the optical coupling is increased until it surpasses the atomic hyperfine interaction responsible for mixing the magnetic substates. Due to the multi-level character of the coupled state space, the level shifts exhibit complex behavior reminiscent of the Paschen–Back effect. Our results show that multi-level effects can have significant influence for strong external drive, differing from a simple model of effective non-interacting two-level systems. These results highlight the relevance of imperfections of the light polarization or initial state preparation in strongly optically driven systems.

Mark P. Silverman

Wanying Wei, Ya‐Fei Yu, Zhi‐Ming Zhang

We study theoretically the features of the output field of a quadratically coupled optomechanical system assisted with three-level atoms. In this system, the atoms interact with the cavity field and are driven by a classical field, and the cavity is driven by a strong coupling field and a weak signal field. We find that there exists a multi-window transparency phenomenon. The width of the transparent windows can be adjusted by controlling the system parameters, including the number of the atoms, the powers of the lasers driving the atoms and driving the cavity, and the environment temperature. We also find that a tunable switch from fast light to slow light can be realized in this system.