Formation of nonclassical states of light in media with a three-photon resonance

The process of simultaneous absorption of three photons in a medium subjected to a three-photon parametric perturbation is considered. It is shown that in such a medium one can observe the formation of the radiation field states, which are the quantum superposition of three coherent components. One-photon and twophoton absorption processes in the medium also destroy the interference between the components of the superposition state. The states being formed are investigated in both the temporal development (numerically) and the stationary limit (numerically and analytically); the Wigner functions, as well as the quantum entropy, are calculated for a whole series of initial states. It is shown that depending on the initial state of the radiation field, the interference between the three-component superposition states being formed can lead, for example, to the almost total localization of the system in a two-component state or to the destruction of the interference between different coherent components.