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Multi-level Maxwell-Bloch simulations

Brigitte Bidégaray-Fesquet, A. Bourgeade, Didier Reignier, Richard W. Ziolkowski

Published Jan 1, 2000• 6 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We present the Maxwell-Bloch equations that are a model for the semi-classical description of laser-matter interactions. After having discussed both models and their numerical coupling in a general context regarding relaxation terms and the number of energy levels, we give examples of simulations that show the capacities of our approach.

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The Maxwell-Bloch equations describe the interaction of light (treated classically with Maxwell's equations) and matter, where the latter is modeled as an ensemble of quantum mechanical systems with two energy levels. The dynamical behavior of the systems is described by the optical Bloch equations. This concept can be generalized to an arbitrary number of energy levels with the help of the density matrix ∧ρ and the Lindblad master equation ∂t ∧ρ = -i ħ-1[∧H, ∧ρ] + D(∧ρ), where ∧H is the Hamiltonian of the system and D accounts for dissipation.
We study the Maxwell–Bloch model, which describes the propagation of a laser through a material and the associated interaction between laser and matter (polarization of the atoms through light propagation, photon emission and absorption, etc.). The laser field is described through Maxwell's equations, a classical equation, while matter is represented at a quantum level and satisfies a quantum Liouville equation known as the Bloch model. Coupling between laser and matter is described through a quadratic source term in both equations. The model also takes into account partial relaxation effects, namely the trend of matter to return to its natural thermodynamic equilibrium. The whole system involves 6 + N(N + 1)/2 unknowns, the six-dimensional electromagnetic field plus the N(N + 1)/2 unknowns describing the state of matter, where N is the number of atomic energy levels of the considered material. We consider at once a high frequency and weak coupling situation, in the general case of anisotropic electromagnetic fields that are subject to diffraction. Degenerate energy levels are allowed. The whole system is stiff and involves strong nonlinearities. We show the convergence to a nonstiff, nonlinear, coupled Schrödinger-rate model, involving 3 + N unknowns. The electromagnetic field is eventually described through its envelope, one unknown vector in ℂ3. It satisfies a Schrödinger equation that takes into account propagation and diffraction of light inside the material. Matter on the other hand is described through a N-dimensional vector describing the occupation numbers of each atomic level. It satisfies Einstein's rate equation that describes the jumps of the electrons between the various atomic energy levels, as induced by the interaction with light. The rate of exchange between the atomic levels is proportional to the intensity of the laser field. The whole system is the physically natural nonlinear model. In order to provide an important and explicit example, we completely analyze the specific (two-dimensional) Transverse Magnetic case, for which formulae turn out to be simpler. Technically speaking, our analysis does not enter the usual mathematical framework of geometric optics: it is more singular, and requires an ad hoc Ansatz.
An accurate and effective numerical method is presented to solve the Maxwell-Bloch equations,which describe the optical pulse propagation and interaction with homogeneously broadened two-level medium.The convergence and stability of this numerical method are also proved by comparing with the analytic solutions derived under special condition,and the method maintains its erroneous exponents and is applicable.Simulations of arbitrary conditions are discussed by employing this new method,and the evolutions of pulse and Bloch vectors for different detunings,relaxation times and initial input pulse power are analyzed.The established numerical method can be used to solve the Maxwell-Bloch equations and their corrections.
A rigorous description of the light–matter interaction requires the use of quantized Maxwell equations to describe the light field and the Schrödinger equation to describe the material medium. This book does not attempt to deal with quantum optical problems that necessitate a field quantization. Instead we focus on properties that are generally grouped under the umbrella of nonlinear optics . Although many definitions of this expression exist, we use it in the sense that the properties we deal with do not depend in a crucial way on the field quantization. For practical purposes, this means in general that the average photon number is large and that we can neglect spontaneous emission as a dynamical process. Rather, we include the consequence of spontaneous emission, that is, the instability of the atomic levels, in a purely phenomenological way. When this is done, we call the material equations the Bloch equations instead of the Schrödinger equation. References [1] through [4] are the classical textbooks that contain a tentative justification for the transition from the Schrödinger to the Bloch equations. None of these attempts is satisfactory from a fundamental viewpoint because the real difficulty is to incorporate the finite lifetime (or natural linewidth) of the atomic energy levels in the Schrödinger equation. This remains an open problem as of now. The Maxwell–Schrödinger equations We consider atoms interacting with an intense electromagnetic field. By intense we mean a field for which the quantization is not necessary.
In this article we present a systematic derivation of the Maxwell-Bloch equations describing amplification and laser action in a ring cavity. We derive the Maxwell-Bloch equations for a two-level medium and discuss their applicability to standard three- and four-level systems. After discusing amplification, we consider lasing and pay special attention to the obtention of the laser equations in the uniform field approximation. Finally, the connection of the laser equations with the Lorenz model is considered.