Algebraic solution for a two-level atom in radiation fields and the Freeman resonances

Abstract

Using techniques of complex analysis in an algebraic approach, we solve the wave equation for a two-level atom interacting with a monochromatic light field exactly. A closed-form expression for the quasi-energies is obtained, which shows that the Bloch-Siegert shift is always finite, regardless of whether the original or the shifted level spacing is an integral multiple of the driving frequency, $\omega$. We also find that the wave functions, though finite when the original level spacing is an integral multiple of $\omega$, become divergent when the intensity-dependent shifted energy spacing is an integral multiple of the photon energy. This result provides, for the first time in the literature, an ab-initio theoretical explanation for the occurrence of the Freeman resonances observed in above-threshold ionization experiments.