Interference spectra in a two-level atom

Abstract

We have considered the interference spectra arising from the competition between a spontaneous process and one induced by a laser field in a two-level atom. Expressions for the spectral functions have been derived describing the spectra of the excited and ground states of the atom in the low- and high-intensity limit of the laser field. For the excited-state spectra in the low-intensity limit, the frequency profiles of the two peaks, which arise from the spontaneous and the induced processes, cancel each other out completely near the center of the line, while for the ground state the induced process dominates. For finite values of the detuning, the spectra of the excited state consist of two peaks, which have positive and negative frequency profiles, respectively. The computed spectra have been graphically presented and discussed. In the high-intensity limit, the dynamic Stark effect dominates the spectra of the excited and ground states of the atom. Expressions for the correlation functions have been derived that describe the emission or the absorption of a laser photon at two different times. The derived expressions for the corresponding delay functions in the low- and high-intensity limits have been found to be identical to those recently proposed in the literature. The laser field has been treated as a classical as well as a quantized entity.