Effect of a constant magnetic field on relaxation characteristics of an atom in a resonance radiation field

А. Н. Ораевский

В. П. Афанасьев, B. A. Veklenko

T. Ya. Karagodova, Anna V. Kuptsova

The interaction of high power laser radiation with the atoms in the external magnetic field leads to the new nonlinear effects due to modifications of populations of the states of the system 'atom plus field.' From one side it can be followed by new peculiarities in the effect of the coherent population trapping and from other -- the effects of the population modifications are important for explanation of regularities of nonlinear magneto-optical effects. The modification of population dynamics due to the parameters of the system -- radiation field intensities, detunings, polarizations, magnetic field strength and orientation, relaxation constants leads to the new features in polarization effects, resonant fluorescence and resonant Raman effects. The new features of the considered theory are that it is built for multilevel atoms and has not restrictions on the probe intensity compared to the pump intensity. The theory and method permit to investigate the populations modifications depending on modifications of the parameters of the system and to find the relation between population dynamics and new nonlinear resonant magneto-optical effects. The considered system consists of atomic gas of low concentration in the constant magnetic field and two monochromatic laser fields of different intensities and polarizations. Analytically the influence of magnetic field on population dynamics of three-level systems have been considered. For real multilevel atom the computer simulations show the dependence of population dynamics on relaxation constants and the differences of this dynamics for different magnetic sublevels of the excited states of the atom. The results agree with known theoretical and experimental works.

G. G. Adonts, K. V. Arutyunyan

Igor M. Sokolov

Specific features of fluorescence of dense and cold nondegenerate atomic ensembles in an external constant magnetic field are analyzed theoretically. The angular distribution, polarization properties, as well as the spectral composition of fluorescence radiation are calculated. The time variation of these characteristics after the end of the excitation pulse is analyzed. The dependence of the properties of secondary radiation on the duration and carrier frequency of the pulse is investigated. It is shown that, for dense clouds in which the free path length of quasiresonance photons is commensurate with the interatomic distance, the magnetic field significantly modifies all the observable properties of the radiation. Under these conditions, the trapping time may increase by tens of times. Magnetic field enhances the effect of quantum beats observed on time scales commensurate with the lifetime of the excited states of atoms. For individual polarization channels, this field also intensifies the phenomenon of coherent backscattering (CBS). The phenomena found are explained by the effect of magnetic field on the character of resonance dipole–dipole interaction and, as a result, on the specific features of collective phenomena in dense atomic ensembles.

T. Ya. Karagodova, Alexander I. Karagodov

The theory and method of computer simulations created formerly permits to investigate the interaction of high power laser radiation up to gigawatt on centimeter to the second power with the atoms as well as with small so with large fine structure interval in the external magnetic field. The modifications of the energies and populations of atomic levels due to such interaction lead to the new nonlinear effects. Among them besides the modifications in Raman effect and new effects of rotation of plane of polarization and circular dichroism investigated before there are such new effects as the modifications of the number, intensities, polarizations of the lines at the excitation spectra and the scattering spectra of resonant fluorescence. The real atom is multilevel system. Usually the theoretical investigations of nonlinear resonant magnetooptical effects are limited by two- or three-level approximations or by using the perturbation theory. This is justified for considering the effects in the weak magnetic fields but not sufficient for revealing and investigation the characteristics of the new nonlinear magnetooptical effects taking place in the intense radiation and magnetic fields. Such effects are related to modifications of electronic structure of atoms (level shifts and splittings, populations modifications). As the considered media is atomic gas one can reach for power density up to gigawatt on centimeter to the second power. As the considered concentrations are small it is possible to neglect the collisional relaxation. For real atom the considered system is multilevel so only numerical solution is appropriated. The simulations permit to find some new effects in the excitation spectra of Raman effect and resonant fluorescence.