Eur. Phys. J. D 38, 537-544 (2006)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2006-00056-8

Phase switching and quantum interference in a 3-level Λ-shape bistable model

¹ Department of Mathematics, Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Science (Women's Section), P.O. Box 11754, Cairo, Egypt
² University of Bahrain, College of Science, Math. Dept., P.O. Box, 32038, Bahrain

Corresponding authors: ^a kie_osman@hotmail.com - ^b shoukryhassan@hotmail.com

Received: 29 July 2005
Revised: 7 January 2006
Published online: 14 March 2006

Abstract

The steady state bistable behaviour of a three-level Λ-shape is examined in the presence of a control field : Ω is the strong Rabi component, is the stochastic part with relative phase ϕ; with quantum interference between decay channels taken into account. One- and two-way phase switching effect for the transmitted field against the phase are predicted at fixed values for the incident input field. Also cooperative switching effect shows multistable/bistable behaviour. Quantum interference tends to diminish the dispersive effects responsible for multistable behaviour (in the input-output relation and the cooperative switching diagram) and asymmetry (in the phase switching diagram). Equivalence of the role of the stochastic part of the control field with that of the “classically” squeezed field is shown to occur only in the absence of quantum interference.