Probing an Excited State Transition Using Quantum Beats

S. Haroche

Christopher G. Wade, Nikola Šibalić, James Keaveney +2 more

A new method to probe the dynamics of excited states using quantum beats between lower-lying hyperfine states is presented, which is particularly advantageous in room-temperature vapors where `traditional' methods based on continuous excitation fail.

Alain Aspect, Jean Dalibard, Philippe Grangier +1 more

J. Koperski, K. Szymaniec, T. Dohnalik

We describe quantum beats in forward scattering for the 3 2p ↔ 4 2D transition in sodium. For the excitation of the 4 2D3/2,5/2 states, the pulsed-stepwise method, through the 3 2P1/2 or 3 2P3/2 intermediate level, was used. We observed changes in the quantum-beats pattern that are due to the probe laser detuning, similar to these observed previously for the sodium D2 line.

Ryuzi Yano, Hiroyuki Shinojima, K. Nakagawa

Ian A. Walmsley, Masaharu Mitsunaga, Carson L. Tang

A perturbative density-matrix theory of quantum beats developed previously has been extended to include the case of a three-level system with ground-state splitting. It is shown that quantum beats should be observable in a transmission-correlation experiment when the optical pulses are resonant or nonresonant with the excited state. The beats may be of magnitude comparable to those from a split excited state, and are insensitive to the amount of homogeneous or inhomogeneous broadening of the optical transitions.