Thesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / In this research, we undertake a numerical study of the interaction between
laser beams and two as well as multi-level atoms. The main aim of this
research is to obtain a deeper understanding of laser-atom interactions and
non-linear processes such as optical four-wave mixing. This work will supplement
experiments to be conducted by other members of the group, who
are involved in generating entangled photons via four-wave mixing in cold
rubidium atoms.
We begin by performing a basic study of the interaction between laser
beams and two-level atoms as an aid to gain knowledge of numerical techniques,
as well as an understanding of the physics behind light-atom interactions.
We make use of a semi-classical approach to describe the system where
the atoms are treated quantum mechanically and the laser beams are treated
classically. We study the interaction between atoms and laser beams using
the density matrix operator and Maxwell's equations respectively. By solving
the optical Bloch equations for two-level atoms we examine the atomic
populations and coherences and present plots of the density matrix elements
as a function of time. The e ects of various parameters such as laser intensity,
detuning and laser modulation have been tested. The behaviour of
the laser beam as it propagates through the atomic sample is also studied.
This is determined by Maxwell's equation where the atomic polarization is
estimated from the coherence terms of the density matrix elements. / French South African Institute of Technology
National Research Foundation
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/2623 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Patel, Meena |
| Contributors | Govender, Kessie, De Jager, Gerhard |
| Publisher | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/ |
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