Study of a four-level system in vee + ladder configuration

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates a four-level atomic system in vee + ladder configuration, analyzing absorption and dispersion profiles under various control field strengths, revealing phenomena like EIA and EIT with linewidth narrowing.

Contribution

It provides a detailed density matrix analysis of a four-level system in vee + ladder configuration, including effects in thermal vapor and the transition between EIA and EIT.

Findings

EIA peak with negative dispersion at zero probe detuning

Switching from EIA to EIT when control fields are unequal

Significant linewidth narrowing in thermal vapor

Abstract

We present the results of a theoretical study of a four-level atomic system in vee + ladder configuration using a density matrix analysis. The absorption and dispersion profiles are derived for a weak probe field and for varying strengths of the two strong control fields. For specificity, we choose energy levels of $^{87}$Rb, and present results for both stationary atoms and moving atoms in room temperature vapor. An electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) peak with negative dispersion is observed at zero probe detuning when the control fields have equal strengths, which switches to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with positive dispersion (due to splitting of the EIA peak) when the control fields are unequal. There is significant linewidth narrowing in thermal vapor.