Phase-dependent interference mechanisms in a three-level Λ system driven by a quantized laser field

Abstract

The dynamics of an atomic few-level system can depend on the phase of driving fields coupled to the atom if certain conditions are satisfied. This is of particular interest to control interference effects, which can alter the system properties considerably. In this article, we discuss the mechanisms of such phase control and interference effects in an atomic three-level system in Λ configuration, where the upper state spontaneously decays into the two lower states. The lower states are coupled by a driving field, which we treat as quantized. This allows for an interpretation on the single photon level for both the vacuum and the driving field. By analyzing the system behavior for a driving field initially in non-classical states with only few Fock number states populated, we find that even though the driving field is coupled to the lower states only, it induces a multiplet of upper states. Then interference occurs independently in three-level subsystems in V configuration, each formed by two adjacent upper states and a single dressed lower state.

Interplay of vacuum-mediated inter- and intra-atomic couplings in a pair of atoms

“…The latter process leads to the creation of SGC between the two excited states, and it has been shown in many theoretical works that such SGC could give rise to fascinating applications [1,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]. The interpretation is facilitated by a quantized treatment of the light fields [19]. In contrast, so far there are no conclusive observations of SGC in atomic systems [20].…”