Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Quantum beat echoes

T. Hashi, Yukio Fukuda, M Tanigawa

Published Aug 27, 1992• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The spin echo [1 ] discovered by Erwin Hahn in 1950 is one of the most sophisticated phenomena in physics. It demonstrates the fact that the decay of coherence due to the inhomogeneous broadening can be recovered by an ingenious ‘effective time reversal’ technique. Since then, the research on coherent transients has been developed in the field of pulsed magnetic resonance [2]. The advent of the laser stimulated the studies in the optical region. Optical analogues of most of the coherent transients in magnetic resonance have been realized [ 3] except for those in solids, whose mechanisms are based on the spin temperature hypothesis [4] . Thus coherent interactions between radiation and atoms have been extensively studied and the techniques developed have been effectively used in a variety of fields. In the studies of so-called two-level problems the coherence is generated by a direct excitation of the relevant transitions by radiofrequency (r.f.), microwave, or laser fields.

DOI
10.1093/oso/9780198539629.003.0022

Related papers

Coherent optical transients

Richard G. Brewer

The dynamics of nuclear spins in atomic and molecular environments have been examined in exquisite detail over the past 27 years by the methods of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. The early discovery of the spin echo by Erwin Hahn and the transient nutation effect by Henry Torrey initiated the field by introducing coherent transient phenomena to radio-frequency spectroscopy. An entire class of coherent spin transients could be observed by a simple variation of the rf pulse sequence, and from the decay characteristics the various spin-dephasing mechanisms could be examined separately. In short, these methods allowed decomposition of the spin-transition linewidth into its broadening components, and also offered new and versatile ways for performing high-resolution rf spectroscopy.

Physics Today•May 1, 1977•41 citations

General study of two-pulse echoes

Masakazu Kunitomo, Makoto Kaburagi

A general expression for coherent transients, free induction decay and echoes, of an atomic or spin two-level system excited by resonant laser or rf field in the form of two square pulses is given by using the Fourier-transform method. This expression interprets the main characteristics of the transient signals well. An analytic expression for the shapes of two-pulse echoes is derived by assuming infinite inhomogeneity and the same Rabi frequencies for the two pulses. Two-pulse echo shapes were numerically calculated for various combinations of pulse areas by using the analytic expression. Nuclear-magnetic-resonance experiment was carried out on an inhomogeneously broadened proton spin system. Experimental two-pulse echo shapes are compared with the calculated ones. Agreement between theory and experiment is quite excellent.

Physical Review A•Jan 1, 1984•11 citations

Stimulated nutation echo: application to the driven decoherence study

G. Bimbo, R. Boscaino, M. Cannas +2 more

We study experimentally the dynamical and decay properties of the stimulated nutation echo (SNE) in a two-level spin system, the signal of which allows the observation timescale of the driven coherence relaxation to be extended. This signal appears in the transient response of the system to the second pulse at time τ 1 from its start and coinciding with the duration of the first pulse. The information about the first pulse duration is imprinted into the population difference of the inhomogeneously broadened ensemble of the two-level absorbers. The decay of the SNE signal has two contributions. One originates from the population decay during the time τ between the two pulses. Another is caused by the coherence loss during the excitation by the first pulse and the reading time of the second pulse. Experimental results on the decay properties induced by these mechanisms are presented for the first time. We investigate the dependence of these decay rates on the pulse intensity and we examine its relationship with the anomalous (non-Bloch) decay of other coherent transients in solids.

Journal of Physics Condensed Matter•Jun 6, 2003•3 citations

DEGENERATE PHOTON ECHOES

Masaharu Mitsunaga, M. K. Kim, Ravinder Kachru

The three-pulse stimulated photon echo has been considered as one of the most fundamental transient four wave mixing processes1, where each of the three excitation pulses induces a single elementary interaction process between a laser field and an inhomogeneously broadened two-level system., resulting in a burst of the fourth wave, i.e., echo. Now if four or more optical pulses are applied to a medium, a number of photon echoes should be expected, in general. At low excitation intensities where the perturbation theory is applicable, however, the dominant nonlinear process is still the three-pulse stimulated echo and consequently each echo signal is generated only by three of the preceding pulses. It is rather a remarkable result that the echo intensity is unaffected by the presence of all the rest of the pulses other than its three generators. With this in mind, it is theoretically and experimentally shown that by applying a single optical pulse (#1) propagating along k1 followed by N pairs of counter-propagating pulses (#2j (k2j) and #3j− (k3j = −k2j); j=1,…N) in various directions, it is possible to obtain N photon echoes along the direction -k1 opposite to the first pulse #1. We will call this degenerate photon echoes, degenerate in. the sense that the echoes are spatially overlapping and temporally simultaneous. When N=l, this scheme is reduced to the ordinary backward photon echo2,3. The doubly degenerate case (N=2) is illustrated in Fig. 1. The j-th echo will be generated by the set of pulses (#1, #2j, #3j) and appear at t = t3j + t2j − t1 where t1, i2j and t3j are the arrival times of the pulses #1, #2j and #3j, respectively.

•Jul 18, 1988•0 citations

Theorem on coherent transients

Axel Schenzle, N. C. Wong, Richard G. Brewer

A fundamental theorem in nuclear magnetic resonance and quantum optics is derived for an atomic system subject to inhomogeneous broadening and coherent preparation by a pulsed electromagnetic field of arbitrary shape. We show that the coherent emission, free induction decay or echo, which follows is confined to an interval which precisely equals the duration of the applied pulse sequence. The theorem applies to two-level or multilevel transitions for which the inhomogeneous linewidth is infinitely broad and the sample is optically thin.

Physical Review A•Aug 1, 1980•44 citations

cw photon echo

Masaharu Mitsunaga, Ravinder Kachru, E. Y. Xu +1 more

We apply for the first time a novel coherent transient, the cw photon echo. The propagation direction of the optical coherence prepared in a medium by a broadband cw laser beam is reversed by a pair of counterpropagating laser pulses, resulting in a continuous emission of the signal. The signal decays with a phase relaxation time ${\mathrm{T}}_{2}$ and can have a quantum-beat-type modulation, giving the same wave form in one single shot as the plot of echo intensity versus pulse separation in a standard two-pulse echo experiment. Experimental demonstration is given in a ${\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$:${\mathrm{YAlO}}_{3}$ crystal.

Physical Review Letters•Aug 14, 1989•9 citations
Abstract The spin echo [1 ] discovered by Erwin Hahn in 1950 is one of the most sophisticated phenomena in physics. It demonstrates the fact that the decay of coherence due to the inhomogeneous broadening can be recovered by an ingenious ‘effective time reversal’ technique. Since then, the research on coherent transients has been developed in the field of pulsed magnetic resonance [2]. The advent of the laser stimulated the studies in the optical region. Optical analogues of most of the coherent transients in magnetic resonance have been realized [ 3] except for those in solids, whose mechanisms are based on the spin temperature hypothesis [4] . Thus coherent interactions between radiation and atoms have been extensively studied and the techniques developed have been effectively used in a variety of fields. In the studies of so-called two-level problems the coherence is generated by a direct excitation of the relevant transitions by radiofrequency (r.f.), microwave, or laser fields.
The dynamics of nuclear spins in atomic and molecular environments have been examined in exquisite detail over the past 27 years by the methods of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. The early discovery of the spin echo by Erwin Hahn and the transient nutation effect by Henry Torrey initiated the field by introducing coherent transient phenomena to radio-frequency spectroscopy. An entire class of coherent spin transients could be observed by a simple variation of the rf pulse sequence, and from the decay characteristics the various spin-dephasing mechanisms could be examined separately. In short, these methods allowed decomposition of the spin-transition linewidth into its broadening components, and also offered new and versatile ways for performing high-resolution rf spectroscopy.
A general expression for coherent transients, free induction decay and echoes, of an atomic or spin two-level system excited by resonant laser or rf field in the form of two square pulses is given by using the Fourier-transform method. This expression interprets the main characteristics of the transient signals well. An analytic expression for the shapes of two-pulse echoes is derived by assuming infinite inhomogeneity and the same Rabi frequencies for the two pulses. Two-pulse echo shapes were numerically calculated for various combinations of pulse areas by using the analytic expression. Nuclear-magnetic-resonance experiment was carried out on an inhomogeneously broadened proton spin system. Experimental two-pulse echo shapes are compared with the calculated ones. Agreement between theory and experiment is quite excellent.
We study experimentally the dynamical and decay properties of the stimulated nutation echo (SNE) in a two-level spin system, the signal of which allows the observation timescale of the driven coherence relaxation to be extended. This signal appears in the transient response of the system to the second pulse at time τ 1 from its start and coinciding with the duration of the first pulse. The information about the first pulse duration is imprinted into the population difference of the inhomogeneously broadened ensemble of the two-level absorbers. The decay of the SNE signal has two contributions. One originates from the population decay during the time τ between the two pulses. Another is caused by the coherence loss during the excitation by the first pulse and the reading time of the second pulse. Experimental results on the decay properties induced by these mechanisms are presented for the first time. We investigate the dependence of these decay rates on the pulse intensity and we examine its relationship with the anomalous (non-Bloch) decay of other coherent transients in solids.
The three-pulse stimulated photon echo has been considered as one of the most fundamental transient four wave mixing processes1, where each of the three excitation pulses induces a single elementary interaction process between a laser field and an inhomogeneously broadened two-level system., resulting in a burst of the fourth wave, i.e., echo. Now if four or more optical pulses are applied to a medium, a number of photon echoes should be expected, in general. At low excitation intensities where the perturbation theory is applicable, however, the dominant nonlinear process is still the three-pulse stimulated echo and consequently each echo signal is generated only by three of the preceding pulses. It is rather a remarkable result that the echo intensity is unaffected by the presence of all the rest of the pulses other than its three generators. With this in mind, it is theoretically and experimentally shown that by applying a single optical pulse (#1) propagating along k1 followed by N pairs of counter-propagating pulses (#2j (k2j) and #3j− (k3j = −k2j); j=1,…N) in various directions, it is possible to obtain N photon echoes along the direction -k1 opposite to the first pulse #1. We will call this degenerate photon echoes, degenerate in. the sense that the echoes are spatially overlapping and temporally simultaneous. When N=l, this scheme is reduced to the ordinary backward photon echo2,3. The doubly degenerate case (N=2) is illustrated in Fig. 1. The j-th echo will be generated by the set of pulses (#1, #2j, #3j) and appear at t = t3j + t2j − t1 where t1, i2j and t3j are the arrival times of the pulses #1, #2j and #3j, respectively.
A fundamental theorem in nuclear magnetic resonance and quantum optics is derived for an atomic system subject to inhomogeneous broadening and coherent preparation by a pulsed electromagnetic field of arbitrary shape. We show that the coherent emission, free induction decay or echo, which follows is confined to an interval which precisely equals the duration of the applied pulse sequence. The theorem applies to two-level or multilevel transitions for which the inhomogeneous linewidth is infinitely broad and the sample is optically thin.
We apply for the first time a novel coherent transient, the cw photon echo. The propagation direction of the optical coherence prepared in a medium by a broadband cw laser beam is reversed by a pair of counterpropagating laser pulses, resulting in a continuous emission of the signal. The signal decays with a phase relaxation time T2{\mathrm{T}}_{2}T2​ and can have a quantum-beat-type modulation, giving the same wave form in one single shot as the plot of echo intensity versus pulse separation in a standard two-pulse echo experiment. Experimental demonstration is given in a Eu3+{\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}Eu3+:YAlO3{\mathrm{YAlO}}_{3}YAlO3​ crystal.