Highly selective population of two excited states in nonresonant two-photon absorption

Hui Zhang, Shian Zhang, Zhenrong Sun

A nonresonant two-photon absorption process can be manipulated by tailoring the ultra-short laser pulse. In this paper, we theoretically demonstrate a highly selective population of two excited states in the nonresonant two-photon absorption process by rationally designing a spectral phase distribution. Our results show that one excited state is maximally populated while the other state population is widely tunable from zero to the maximum value. We believe that the theoretical results may play an important role in the selective population of a more complex nonlinear process comprising nonresonant two-photon absorption, such as resonance-mediated (2+1)-three-photon absorption and (2+1)-resonant multiphoton ionization.

Viktor K. Dubrovich

清 西川, 昭 佐道, Hiroshi Sekiya +3 more

Ji‐Cai Liu, Viviane Costa Felicíssimo, Freddy Fernandes Guimarães +2 more

The dynamics of populations of the vibrational states in a NO molecule (one-photon absorption) and of the electronic states in a 4,4'-bis(dimethylamino) stilbene molecule (two-photon absorption) is studied versus the frequency, intensity and shape of the laser pulse. We show that specially designed infrared laser pulses can build selective populations of certain vibrational states. A detuning of light frequency from the vibrational resonance qualitatively changes the dynamics of populations. It is found out that the populations of the nonresonant levels follow the pulse shape adiabatically if the detuning significantly exceeds the inverse characteristic time of the change of the pulse. Depopulation of the nonresonant vibrational states leads to a high population of the resonant state at the end of the pulse. Complete breakdown of the standard rotating wave approximation for a two-photon absorption process is observed even for a rather small intensity of the laser pulse. An analytical solution for the interaction of a pulse with a three-level system beyond the rotating wave approximation is obtained, and it is in close agreement with the strict numerical solution of the amplitude equations. Special attention is paid to the population dynamics of randomly oriented molecules. The orientational disorder as well as the vibrations limit the coherent population transfer. Calculations show the strong role of the anisotropy of photoexcitation in the coherent control of populations which can affect the anisotropy of photobleaching.

Andrey Gandman, Leonid Rybak, Zohar Amitay

We present and experimentally demonstrate for the first time the observation and femtosecond coherent control over the temporal evolution of a transient population that is excited via nonresonant two-photon absorption. Based on symmetry properties of the two-photon absorption process, the exciting femtosecond pulses are phase-shaped to photoinduce different evolutions of the transient excited population for a given final excited population. As a study case, we focus here on the attractive case of two-photon dark pulses that, although inducing zero final population (hence, the terminology of "dark pulses"), they induce a transient excited population during the pulse irradiation that can significantly deviate from zero. This nonzero transient population can be viewed as the bright side of such dark pulses. The symmetry-based coherent control is demonstrated first with dark pulses that we shape to induce transient excited population that at all times is kept below different target levels. Then, it is further demonstrated with pairs of dark pulses where one is rationally shaped to induce temporal evolution of the transient excited population that is the inverse of the evolution induced by the other. The work is conducted in the weak-field regime with the sodium atom as the model system. The approach developed here is general, conceptually simple, and very effective.

Hiroshi Sekiya, Seikyo Tsunekawa, Kiyoshi Nishikawa +1 more