Sub- and superluminance with gain in a three-level ladder-type atomic system with spontaneously generated coherence

Abstract

The effects of spontaneously generated coherence (SGC) on the propagation of a weak probe pulse are investigated in a ladder-type atomic system. Due to SGC, the properties of the dispersion and the absorption of a three-level ladder-type system are changed greatly. With proper parameters, the system can produce normal and anomalous dispersion regions in the gain region. The effects of the incoherent pumping and the relative phase on the group velocity are also studied. They all can be used as switches to manipulate the group velocity of the weak probe field from gain-assisted sub- to superluminance.