https://doi.org/10.1007/s100530050324
Spontaneous emission from a four-level Λ-V system
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria
and
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica della Materia, Unità di Cosenza
87036 Arcavacata di Rende (CS), Italy
Received:
20
October
1998
Published online: 15 June 1999
We examine the decay dynamics of a free four-level system in the Λ-V configuration. Quantum interference strongly manifests itself in this system, as can be seen by looking at the combined spectral distribution of the two emitted photons and at the time evolution of the intermediate-level populations, whose effective lifetimes can become very long under certain conditions for the atomic parameters. This effect is attributable to a population transfer mechanism induced in the time evolution equations by the Fano terms, also responsible for the strong modifications of the spectral correlation between the emitted photons which we analyze in detail. Finally, population trapping can also occur when the two intermediate levels are degenerate.
PACS: 42.50.Ct – Quantum description of interaction of light and matter; related experiments / 42.50.Gy – Effects of atomic coherence on propagation, absorption, and amplification of light
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 1999
