Interaction of an Adsorbed Atom with a Laser.
Abstract
The irradiation by infrared laser light of an atom adsorbed on the surface of a harmonic crystal is considered. The dynamic coupling between the atom (its motion) and the substrate degrees of freedom (phonon field) in the presence of a confining potential well (van der Waals bond between atom and crystal) gives rise to thermal relaxation of this adbond configuration. Both the atom and the substrate are assumed to be transparent, but the bond is allowed to have non-vanishing dipole-moment matrix elements, which couple the external field to the adsorbate. The equation of motion for the reduced adbond density operator is obtained with reservoir theory, and the relaxation constants are expressed in properties of the crystal. With a similar method, the spectral profile for absorption of weak radiation is derived. Subsequently, the illumination by a strong finite-linewidth laser field which is in close resonance with a single transition of the adbond is examined. The optical Bloch equations in operator form are derived and applied to study the process of laser heating of the crystal. It is pointed out how this mechanism can be understood as resulting from (multi)photon-phonon conversion reactions which are mediated by the adbond. Keywords: Kinetic Phonon Coupling; Thermal Relaxation; Line Shape; Dressed States; Laser Heating; Photon Phonon Conversion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA175751
Entities
People
- Henk F. Arnoldus
- Sander Van Smaalen
- Thomas F. George
Organizations
- University at Buffalo