Two-Photon Cooperative Cascade Superfluorescence
Abstract
We have studied the time evolution of the radiation field spontaneously emitted by an ensemble of many atoms as they proceed from some particular excited atomic state to a lower one (initially unpopulated) and then on to the ground state. A short laser pulse, two-photon resonant with an even parity optical transition, produces the excited atomic population which is forbidden (by symmetry) to radiate directly back to the ground state and must therefor radiate first to an intermediate state. If the gain is high, laser action should rapidly deplete the excited state and with sufficient population build-up on the intermediate state one can expect laser action to appear on the transition to the ground state. This scenario becomes more interesting when the 'short' laser pulse coherently excites the atoms into a coherent superposition of the ground and uppermost resonant state. Now laser action on the uppermost transition directly induces laser action on the lower transition even though no population inversion is present there. The effect is to modify the laser action on the uppermost transition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 22, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA254579
Entities
People
- S. R. Hartmann
Organizations
- Columbia University