Generalized Optical Bloch Equations for a General Three-Level Atom Interacting with a Linearly Polarized Light in the Rotating Wave and Electric Dipole Approximations

Mesfin Woldeyohannes^1,

¹Department of Chemistry & Physics, Western Carolina University, 112 Apodaca Science Building, Cullowhee, NC, USA

Cite this paper:
Mesfin Woldeyohannes. Generalized Optical Bloch Equations for a General Three-Level Atom Interacting with a Linearly Polarized Light in the Rotating Wave and Electric Dipole Approximations. International Journal of Physics. 2024; 12(4):164-174. doi: 10.12691/ijp-12-4-4

Abstract

The nine (9) elements of the density matrix of a general three-level atom interacting with a classically described linearly polarized light are parameterized by eight (8) variables related to the populations of the atomic levels, and the coherences (interference effects) between the levels. The dynamical equations of these eight parameters (that is, the optical Bloch equations for a general three-level atom) are derived under the electric dipole as well as the rotating wave approximations, and under the assumption that the matrix elements of the atomic electric dipole are all real. The general optical Bloch equations so derived are shown to contain the well-known optical Bloch equations for three-level atoms in the , and cascade configurations as well as those for two-level atoms as special cases. Expressing the interaction of light with a three-level atom in all possible configurations as well as with a two-level atom by a single set of generalized optical Bloch equations is the main result of this work.

Keywords:
Optical Block equations two-level atom three-level atom Ʌ-configuration V-configuration cascade configuration

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