Theory of Optical Free-Induction Decay and Two-Photon Superradiance

Abstract

The Stark-pulse technique of Brewer and Shoemaker allows one to observe phenomena such as optical free-induction decay, optical nutation, and two-photon superradiance. In this paper, we develop a theoretical treatment of these phenomena under the appropriate experimental conditions. The calculations of the free-induction decay and the corresponding optical nutation are shown to be in excellent agreement with experiment. We also discuss the two-photon superradiance phenomenon of Brewer and Shoemaker as a Raman effect appearing in first-order perturbation theory. The analysis illustrates the essential features of the experimental observation.