arXiv:physics/9701002 · Physical Review A
Steady-state behavior in atomic three-level Λ and ladder systems with incoherent population pumping
M. Blaauboer
Abstract
We study the steady state in three-level lambda (\ensuremath{\Lambda}) and ladder systems. It is well known that in a \ensuremath{\Lambda} system this steady state is the coherent population trapping state, independent of the presence of spontaneous emission. In contrast, the steady state in a ladder system is in general not stable against radiative decay and exhibits a minimum in the population of the ground state. We show that incoherent population pumping destroys the stability of the coherent population trapping state in the \ensuremath{\Lambda} system and suppresses a previously discovered sharp dip in the steady-state response. In the ladder system the observed minimum disappears in the presence of an incoherent pump on the upper transition.