Design of a mode converter for efficient light-atom coupling in free space

In this article, we describe how to develop a mode converter that transforms a plane electromagnetic wave into an inward-moving dipole wave. The latter one is intended to bring a single atom or ion from its ground state to an excited state by absorption of a single photon wave packet with near-100% efficiency. PACS 42.50.-p; 42.50.Ct; 42.50.Ex     

Accelerating the spontaneous emission of x rays from atoms in a cavity

We have investigated the spontaneous radiative decay of resonant nuclei in a planar x-ray waveguide after excitation by synchrotron radiation pulses. The waveguide acts as a cavity and modifies the mode structure of the electromagnetic field. As a result, the rate of spontaneous emission is enhanced by a factor proportional to the density of photon states in the cavity. In this experiment, we have observed a sixfold acceleration of the coherent radiative decay of 57Fe nuclei located in the center of the first-order guided mode. This is in very good agreement with theoretical predictions.     

On the velocity of propagation of a frequency-modulated wave packet in a dispersive absorbing medium

It is shown that the velocity of propagation of a frequency-modulated wave packet through a strongly dispersive absorbing medium can be significantly different from (either higher or lower than) that of a non-frequency-modulated wave packet. This difference is attributed to the absorption dispersion of the medium. The easiest way to take the absorption dispersion into account is to use the formalism of the complex group velocity of a wave packet. This paper considers the propagation of a linear frequency-modulated wave packet, whose carrier frequency is close to the frequency of a spectral absorption line of the medium.     

ELECTRON ACCELERATION BY A LOCALIZED,HLGH FREQUENCY ELECTRIC FIELD OCDDRRING IN LASER PLASMA

The problem of electron acceleration by a localized,high frequency electric field has been further investigated by using single particle orbit computations and the resonant field. The computational results obtained can give a better explanation to the phenomena observed in experiments and in particle simulations,it indicates that,the Localized field occurring in resonant absorption behaves more Like a travelling wave, and the resonance of the field with electrons in the critical density region can account for the generation of energetic electrons.     

碳纳米管吸收电磁波特性

本文研究碳纳米管阵列的介电谱函数与吸收电磁波的特性。应用等离激元和无规相近似方法给出碳纳米管的介电谱函数,进而求出吸收系数和反射功率比。介电函数随电磁波的频率变化,在光子能量与系统电子的能谱差相匹配时产生共振吸收,吸收系数出现多个大的吸收峰。反射功率比随薄层厚度的增加而指数衰减,其衰减速率和饱和值与电磁场的频率和碳纳米管的结构有密切的联系。     

Study of the rates of collisional decay of population, orientation, and alignment by stimulated photon echo in a molecular gas

A stimulated photon echo technique with specially selected linear polarizations of the coherent resonant driver pulses is used to study depolarizing collisions in the molecular gas SF₆ and in mixtures of it with buffer He and Xe. The collisional decay rates of the population, orientation, and alignment in an ensemble of gas particles are determined for the first time in a single experiment. These relaxation rates are measured as a function of the longitudinal translational velocities of the resonant particles. To within the experimental accuracy, no significant dependence of the collisional decay rates on the translational velocities of the particles was observed. This result confirms the conventional theoretical approach to depolarizing collisions. In pure SF₆ the decay rates for the orientation and alignment were lower than the relaxation constant for collisions involving a change in the longitudinal velocity (elastic collisions) that is known from experimental observations of the ordinary photon echo. This means that only some of the elastic collisions participate in destroying the multipole moments of the levels. Evidence is found that the relaxation of the multipole moments created by polarized radiation in a resonant medium of molecular SF₆ gas depends on j, the total angular momentum of the level. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 113, 826–833 (March 1998)     

Optical nutation and photon echo by phase or amplitude shift of light waves

Optical nutation and photon echo caused by phase shift of a light wave incident on a resonant medium are considered. The case of simultaneous ultrashort perturbation of phase and amplitude is also treated. It is shown that a change of linear to circular polarization of incident light waves gives rise to an increase of the period and the decay time of optical nutation on the resonant atomic transitions J→J. On the contrary, the above mentioned period and decay time in the same situation are decreased on the resonant atomic transitions with the moment change J?J+1. This law in optical nutation can be taken as a base of the method for experimental identification of the atomic and molecular transitions. Moreover, the comparison of the theoretical and experimental optical nutation curves allows the probability of spontaneous emission to be determined.     

Tomographic Description of a Quantum Wave Packet in an Accelerated Frame

The tomography of a single quantum particle (i.e., a quantum wave packet) in an accelerated frame is studied. We write the Schrödinger equation in a moving reference frame in which acceleration is uniform in space and an arbitrary function of time. Then, we reduce such a problem to the study of spatiotemporal evolution of the wave packet in an inertial frame in the presence of a homogeneous force field but with an arbitrary time dependence. We demonstrate the existence of a Gaussian wave packet solution, for which the position and momentum uncertainties are unaffected by the uniform force field. This implies that, similar to in the case of a force-free motion, the uncertainty product is unaffected by acceleration. In addition, according to the Ehrenfest theorem, the wave packet centroid moves according to classic Newton’s law of a particle experiencing the effects of uniform acceleration. Furthermore, as in free motion, the wave packet exhibits a diffraction spread in the configuration space but not in momentum space. Then, using Radon transform, we determine the quantum tomogram of the Gaussian state evolution in the accelerated frame. Finally, we characterize the wave packet evolution in the accelerated frame in terms of optical and simplectic tomogram evolution in the related tomographic space.     

Photon acceleration in superluminous and accelerated ionizationfronts

The interaction of an electromagnetic wave packet with a superluminous ionization front is described here using the Hamiltonian theory of photon acceleration. We also describe the interaction with accelerated ionization fronts. The different qualitative photon trajectories are presented for both cases. The frequency up-shift is also derived. It is shown that a proper tailoring of the ionization front velocity can lead to higher frequency up-shifts than in constant velocity ionization fronts     

苝四甲酸二酐薄膜电子结构的同步辐射共振光电子能谱研究

利用基于同步辐射的近边X射线吸收精细结构谱(NEXAFS)和共振光电子谱(RPES)研究了苝四甲酸二酐分子(PTCDA)薄膜的电子结构.碳K边NEXAFS谱中能量小于290 eV的四个峰对应于PTCDA分子不同化学环境碳原子1s电子到未占据分子轨道的共振跃迁.RPES谱中观察到共振光电子发射和共振俄歇电子发射导致的共振峰结构,以及二次谐波激发的碳1s信号.根据电子动能对入射光能量的依赖性分别对三类峰结构进行了归属.同时,发现PTCDA分子轨道共振光电子峰的强度具有光子能量依赖性.这种能量选择性共振增强效应是由于PTCDA分子轨道空间分布差异导致的.共振俄歇峰主要源于高结合能(4.1 eV)分子轨道能级电子参与的退激发过程.明确RPES实验谱图中各个峰结构的起源有助于准确利用基于RPES的芯能级空穴时钟谱技术定量估算有机分子/电极异质界面处电子从分子未占据轨道到电极导带的超快转移时间.     

"量身定做"单光子波包:在量子网络中控制光子/自旋量子界面

文章简要地介绍了如何在量子网络中控制量子界面动力学以实现静态量子比特和动态量子比特的相互转换．具体言之，该界面由半导体量子点、固体光学微腔以及光学波导管构成，静态及动态比特分别为量子点中的电子自旋和波导管中的单光子波包所携带．界面动力学的控制则是基于对量子点、微腔和波导管耦合系统的量子电动力学的严格求解．据此可实现网络中两个远距离节点间的量子态传输、交换以及确定性的建立量子纠缠等量子操作．上述量子界面亦可用于任意指定波形的单光子源或者单光子探测装置。     

Principles of controlling a single-photon radiation state using optically thick resonant media

The propagation of a single-photon wave packet in a thick resonant absorber if it undergoes rapid displacement at a certain instant after the beginning of a wave packet emission is investigated theoretically and experimentally. This displacement was found to yield a radiation burst at the absorber output.     

Cross-scale nonlinear coupling and plasma energization by Alfvén waves

We present a new channel for the nonlocal transport of wave energy from the large (MHD) scales to the small (kinetic) scales generated by the resonant decay of MHD Alfvén waves into kinetic Alfvén waves. This process does not impose any restriction on the wave numbers or frequencies of initial MHD waves, which makes it superior compared to the mechanisms of spectral transport studied before. Because of dissipative properties of the nonlinearly driven kinetic Alfvén waves, the decay leads to plasma heating and particle acceleration, which is observed in a variety of space and astrophysical plasmas. Two examples in the solar corona and the terrestrial magnetosphere are briefly discussed.     

Universal approach to optimal photon storage in atomic media

We present a universal physical picture for describing storage and retrieval of photon wave packets in a Lambda-type atomic medium. This physical picture encompasses a variety of different approaches to pulse storage ranging from adiabatic reduction of the photon group velocity and pulse-propagation control via off-resonant Raman fields to photon-echo-based techniques. Furthermore, we derive an optimal control strategy for storage and retrieval of a photon wave packet of any given shape. All these approaches, when optimized, yield identical maximum efficiencies, which only depend on the optical depth of the medium.     

Vlasov equation for photons and quasi-particles in a plasma

We show that, in quite general conditions, a Vlasov equation can be derived for photons in a medium. The same is true for other quasi-particles, such as plasmons, phonons or driftons, associated with other wave modes in a plasma. The range of validity of this equation is discussed. We also discuss the Landau resonance, and its relation with photon acceleration. Exact and approximate expressions for photon and quasi-particle Landau damping are stated. Photon and quasi-particle acceleration and trapping is also discussed. Specific applications to laser-plasma interaction, and to magnetic fusion turbulence, are considered as illustrations of the general approach.     

拉曼散射在共振及近共振时的条件：广义短时间近似

研究了频率失谐时共振拉曼散射的动力学过程．当入射光子能量远离共振吸收能量时,时域内的失相使散射过程变快．这使得频率失谐如同照相机的快门功能,具有规律的散射持续时间,为普通的稳态测量提供了控制散射时间的有效工具．基于这个理论对两个多模式模型系统以及反式-1,3,5-己三烯和鸟嘌呤-胞嘧啶Watson-Crick碱基对分子的共振拉曼光谱进行了研究．除了这些特殊的物理效应,快散射机制可以简化光谱,同时使散射理论得到简化．当入射光子频率在共振区域时,拉曼光谱中会出现较强的多倍频成分;当入射光子频率与第一共振吸收频率之间的失谐量为振动能量时,在快散射过程中,这些多倍频成分逐渐消失．因此,利用入射光子与共振频域的失谐可以明显地简化拉曼光谱,从复杂光谱中去除多倍频和软模的影响,并且可以避免共振态的解离和荧光衰减引起的干扰．     

Transient Dynamics of Super Bloch Oscillations of a 1D Holstein Polaron under the Influence of an External AC Electric Field

Theoretical formalism for DC‐field polaron dynamics is extended to the dynamics of a 1D Holstein polaron in an external AC electric field using multiple Davydov trial states. Effects of carrier–phonon coupling on detuned and resonant scenarios are investigated for both phase and nonzero phase. For slightly off‐resonant or detuned cases, a beat between the usual Bloch oscillations and an AC driving force results in super Bloch oscillations, that is, rescaled Bloch oscillations in both the spatial and the temporal dimension. Super Bloch oscillations are damped by carrier–phonon coupling. For resonant cases, if the carrier is created on two nearest‐neighboring sites, the carrier wave packet spreads with small‐amplitude oscillations. Adding carrier–phonon coupling localizes the carrier wave packet. If an initial broad Gaussian wave packet is adopted, the centroid of the carrier wave packet moves with a certain velocity and with its shape unchanged. Adding carrier–phonon coupling broadens the carrier wave packet and slows down the carrier movement. Our findings may help provide guiding principles on how to manipulate the dynamics of the super Bloch oscillations of carriers in semiconductor superlattice and optical lattices by modifying DC and AC field strengths, AC phases, and detuning parameters.     

Photon dynamics in plasma waves

In this Letter the evolution of a single photon and collective effect of a photon system in background plasma waves are uniformly described in the framework of photon dynamics. In a small-amplitude plasma wave the modulation of photon dynamical behavior by the plasma wave can be treated as perturbation, and photon acceleration effect and photon Landau damping are investigated in linear theory. In an arbitrary-amplitude plasma wave, photon evolution trajectories in phase space are obtained by solving dynamical equations, and photon trapping effect and motion equations in the given plasma wave are also discussed.     

Real-time observation of interference between atomic one-electron and two-electron excitations

We present results of real-time tracking of atomic two-electron dynamics in an autoionizing transient wave packet in krypton. A coherent superposition of two Fano resonances is excited with a femtosecond extreme-ultraviolet pulse. The evolution of the corresponding wave packet is subsequently probed with a delayed infrared pulse. In our specific case, we get access to the interference between one- and two-electron excitation channels in the launched wave packet, which is superimposed on its decay through autoionization. A simple model is able to account for the observed dynamical evolution of this wave packet.     

Effective quantum efficiency in the pulsed homodyne detection of a n-photon state

Homodyne detection can be used to perform measurements on various quantum states of the light, such as conditional single photon states produced by parametric fluorescence processes. In the pulsed regime, the time and frequency overlap between the single photon wave packet and the local oscillator field plays a crucial role. We show in this paper that this overlap can be characterized by an effective quantum efficiency, which is explicitly calculated in various situations of experimental interest. Received 27 July 2000 and Received in final form 29 November 2000