Degenerate two- and three-level systems in presence of longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields

Abstract

We discuss the effect of static and time-dependent longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields on degenerate two-level and three-level systems in Rb atomic vapor. The effect of a transverse magnetic field (TMF) on the absorption spectra of degenerate two-level systems in the D₂ line of ⁸⁷Rb is investigated both analytically and numerically. We compare the effect of the TMF on the absorption of a σ polarized pump in the Hanle configuration with that of a σ⁻ probe in the presence of a σ⁺ pump in the pump-probe configuration, and show that the absorption spectra in both configurations is split in the presence of a TMF and that the splitting is proportional to the magnitude of the TMF. Coherent population trapping (CPT) transients induced by a modulated longitudinal magnetic field (LMF) are investigated theoretically for a realistic three-level Λ system in the D₁ line of ⁸⁷Rb. The contributions to the transient probe absorption from the various subsystems that comprise the realistic atomic system are examined and the absorption of each Λ subsystem is compared to that of a simple Λ system. We also present theoretical results for CPT transients induced by a modulated TMF. The application of a TMF leads to the appearance of new Λ subsystems, the creation of new dark states and the rearrangement of the population among the Zeeman sublevels. We show that transients appear as the system is switched between various steady-state situations and we identify the various components of the total probe absorption.