Title :
Nonlinear atomic response in superstrong spatially inhomogeneous field
Author :
Kozlov, A.B. ; Andreev, A.V.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Lomonosov (M.V.) State Univ., Moscow, Russia
Abstract :
Summary form only given. The study of nonlinear optical processes in an isotropic medium that are forbidden according to symmetry properties of medium attracts considerable interest. One of these processes is second harmonic generation in isotropic medium that is forbidden in the electric-dipole approximation. Several symmetry-breaking mechanisms have been proposed to explain the experimental results. We show that second harmonic generation could arise from the spatially nonlocal interactions, because in spatially inhomogeneous field the atomic wave function could be significantly distorted. We consider the harmonics generation in the case when an isotropic atomic medium interacts with the interference field of two noncollinear propagating pulses. We have developed a theoretical model, which describes atomic response in two-level approximation. This model takes into account spatial-nonlocal interaction with precision up to the first derivative of the laser field vector potential. The advantage of our approach over traditional perturbation theory is account of population inversion dynamics, that influences strongly on the frequency spectrum of atomic response.
Keywords :
optical harmonic generation; optical phase matching; perturbation theory; population inversion; quantum optics; atomic wave function; electric-dipole approximation; interference field; isotropic medium; laser field vector potential; noncollinear propagating pulses; nonlinear atomic response; nonlinear optical processes; perturbation theory; phase matching conditions; population inversion dynamics; second harmonic generation; spatial-nonlocal interaction; spatially nonlocal interactions; superstrong spatially inhomogeneous field; symmetry-breaking mechanisms; two-level approximation; Atom optics; Atomic beams; Harmonic distortion; Interference; Nonlinear optics; Nonuniform electric fields; Optical distortion; Optical harmonic generation; Optical propagation; Wave functions;
Conference_Titel :
Quantum Electronics Conference, 2000. Conference Digest. 2000 International
Conference_Location :
Nice, France
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6318-3
DOI :
10.1109/IQEC.2000.907832