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arXiv:physics/0102088 · Physical Review A

Coherent control of multiphoton transitions with femtosecond pulse shaping

Seyed Abbas Hosseini, Debabrata Goswami

Published Aug 9, 2001• 36 citations
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Abstract

We explore the effects of ultrafast shaped pulses for two-level systems that do not have a single-photon resonance, by developing a multiphoton density-matrix approach. We take advantage of the fact that the dynamics of the intermediate virtual states are absent within our laser pulse time scales. Under these conditions, the multiphoton results are similar to those for a single photon, and it is possible to extend the single-photon coherent control ideas to develop multiphoton coherent control.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.64.033410

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•Aug 1, 2010•1 citation
We explore the effects of ultrafast shaped pulses for two-level systems that do not have a single-photon resonance, by developing a multiphoton density-matrix approach. We take advantage of the fact that the dynamics of the intermediate virtual states are absent within our laser pulse time scales. Under these conditions, the multiphoton results are similar to those for a single photon, and it is possible to extend the single-photon coherent control ideas to develop multiphoton coherent control.
Control of multiphoton transitions is demonstrated for a multilevel system by generalizing the instantaneous phase of any chirped pulse as individual terms of a Taylor series expansion. In the case of a simple two-level system, all odd terms in the series lead to population inversion while the even terms lead to self-induced transparency. The results hold for multiphoton transitions that do not have any lower-order photon resonance or any intermediate virtual state dynamics within the laser pulse width.
Weak-field coherent phase control of atomic non-resonant multiphoton excitation induced by shaped femtosecond pulses is studied theoretically in the single-cycle regime. The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the pulse, which in the multi-cycle regime does not play any control role, is shown here to be a new effective control parameter that its effect is highly sensitive to the spectral position of the ultrabroad spectrum. Rationally chosen position of the ultrabroadband spectrum coherently induces several groups of multiphoton transitions from the ground state to the excited state of the system: transitions involving only absorbed photons as well as Raman transitions involving both absorbed and emitted photons. The intra-group interference is controlled by the relative spectral phase of the different frequency components of the pulse, while the inter-group interference is controlled jointly by the CEP and the relative spectral phase. Specifically, non-resonant two- and three-photon excitation is studied in a simple model system within the perturbative frequency-domain framework. The developed intuition is then applied to weak-field multiphoton excitation of atomic cesium (Cs), where the simplified model is verified by non-perturbative numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We expect this work to serve as a basis for a new line of femtosecond coherent control experiments.
Multiphoton transitions can be reached by many routes through a continuum of virtual levels. We show that the transition probability of two-photon and multiphoton processes can be controlled by tailoring the shape of an ultrashort excitation pulse, so that the many paths leading to the final state interfere to give a desired probability amplitude. We analyze the effect of pulse shapes on N-photon absorption as well as on Raman transitions. We show theoretically that certain tailored dark pulses do not excite the system at all, while other shaped pulses induce transitions as effectively as transform limited pulses, even when their peak amplitudes are greatly reduced. These results are confirmed experimentally for two-photon transitions in atomic cesium.
Multiphoton transition probability can be manipulated by tailoring the ultrashort laser pulses. In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the influence of the absorption bandwidth and line shape on the coherent control of two-photon transitions in two-level system by manipulating the femtosecond laser pulse with the $\ensuremath{\pi}$ spectral phase step. A coherent feature with a coherent peak and two coherent dips can be achieved if the absorption bandwidth is less than twice of the laser spectral bandwidth. The absorption bandwidth decides the coherent peak or dip intensity, and the absorption line shape affects the symmetry of the two coherent dips.
In this thesis, we present work on coherent control of multilevelquantum systems in the strong field limit using shaped ultrafastlaser pulses. In recent years there have been numerous multiphotonabsorption experiments in two,three, and four-level atomic/molecularsystems and many are performed in the limit of weak fields whereperturbation theory is valid. Here, we describe a series ofexperiments aimed at exploring and understanding multiphotontransitions when the exciting field is strong and perturbationtheory breaks down. Our approach to strong field control utilizesboth parameterized scans of various pulse shapes and closed-looplearning control to identify a pulse shape that is optimal forpopulating a target quantum state. With this we will highlight thedifference between sequential population transfer and adiabaticrapid passage in multilevel systems with multiphoton couplingbetween levels. Additionally, we examine strong field control of afour-level atomic interferometer and show how interference in atarget state changes from resonant pathways in the frequency domainto time-domain interference via a singe path.Further, we use shaped femtosecond pulses to demonstrate aphenomenon in which a three-level atom becomes a modulator of anultrafast pulse. The results are based on a pump-probe scheme thatis very similar to Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT).Important dynamics associated with a time-dependent coupling fieldare examined. Lastly, we extend previous work on two-photon drivensuperfluorescence from a shaped ultrafast drive laser and show howstimulated emission near threshold can turn modest coherent controlyields into essentially perfect discrimination between systems wherea control factor of about 104 is achieved between atomic andmolecular species.