Effects of multi-photon interferences from internally generated fields in strongly resonant systems

Published

March 29, 2006

Author(s)

Lu Deng, M. G. Payne, W R. Garrett

Abstract

In studies of various nonlinear optical phenomena, strong resonant features in the atomic or molecular response to multi-photon driven processes have been used to greatly enhance the visibility of otherwise weak higher- order processes. However, there are well defined circumstances where a multi-photon-resonant response of a target system leads to the generation of one or more new electromagnetic fields that can drastically change the overall system response from what would be expected from the imposed laser fields alone. New effects can occur and dominate some aspects of the nonlinear optical response because of the constructive or destructive interference between transition amplitudes along multiple excitation pathways between a given set of optically coupled states, where one of the pathways involve internally generated field(s). Under destructive interference some resonant enhancements can become completely canceled (suppressed). This review focuses on the class of optical interference effects associated with internally generated fields, that have been found to be capable of influencing a very significant number of basic physical phenomena in gas or vapor phase systems. It provides a historical overview of experimental and theoretical developments and a modern understanding of the underlying physics and its various manifestations that include: suppression of multi-photon excitation processes, suppression of stimulated emissions (Raman, hyper-Raman, and optically pumped stimulated emissions), saturation of parametric wave-mixing, pressure and beam-geometry dependent shifting of multi-photon-resonant absorption lines, and the suppression of Autler– Townes splitting and ac-stark shifts. Additionally, optical interference effects in some modern contexts, such as achieving multi- photon induced transparency, establishing single-photon self-interference based induced transparency, and generating entangled single photon states, are reviewed.

Citation

Physics Reports-Review Section of Physics Letters

Volume

429

Issue

NA

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2006.03.005

Keywords

multi-photon interference in resonant media

Citation

Deng, L. , , M. and Garrett, W. (2006), Effects of multi-photon interferences from internally generated fields in strongly resonant systems, Physics Reports-Review Section of Physics Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physrep.2006.03.005 (Accessed May 4, 2024)