Engineering topics

Burnett, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Burnett, K..

10 records

NASA NTRS1983

Theory of time-dependent intense-field collisional resonance fluorescence

The time-dependent theory of Courtens and Szoke (1977) is generalized using the approach of Burnett et al. (1982) to derive time-dependent spectral intensities of resonance fluorescence from atoms driven by a pulsed laser in the presence of collisions. These results are valid both for laser detunings inside and outside the usual impact region of the spectrum, including Zeeman degeneracy effects. This theory is applied to a simple but important example (J = 0 to J = 1) to obtain quantitative predictions for the observable scattered-light spectrum which can be directly compared with recent experiments.

Kleiber, P. D.↗

NASA NTRS1982

On redistribution and the equations for radiative transfer

The derivation of the equations of statistical equilibrium are outlined, starting from the quantum density-matrix equations, drawing particular attention to the approximations and assumptions used in the development of tractable expressions. Then, using the quantum-fluctuation-regression theorem, emission and absorption coefficients are obtained for multilevel atomic systems which are nondegenerate except for m-substates. These coefficients are valid to first order in the incident intensity. Possible extensions to higher intensity broadband incoherent fields are suggested.

Cooper, J.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Collisional redistribution of radiation in strong fields - Modification of the collision dynamics

The theory of light scattering from an atom undergoing collisions is extended to the case of strong laser fields. In particular, the conditions necessary to relate the observable quantities to intense-field collisional rate constants in a dressed-state basis are considered. It is shown that by studying the spectrum emitted by the atoms in the presence of a strong field one may measure the collisional rates for transfer between the dressed states of atom plus radiation field.

Burnett, K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Redistribution of radiation for the wings of Lyman-alpha

Earlier work on redistribution of radiation by collisions for isolated lines is extended to overlapping lines, and an explicit expression for the frequency redistribution is given for Lyman-alpha. This expression is valid, even when the emitted photon is in the (non-impact) line wings. A simple physical explanation of the result is possible.

Yelnik, J.-B.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Far wing depolarization of light - Generalized absorption profiles

An absorption (and/or emission) event which takes place during a strong collision is called a 'correlated event'. It is discussed how correlated events affect the far red wing depolarization of fluorescence. Attention is given to an atomic vapor which is irradiated by linearly polarized light of a frequency on the red side of the resonance line. Two limiting cases are considered, corresponding to excitation in the impact region and in the quasi-static wing. In the quasi-static wing, absorption of a photon followed by fluorescence (rather than Rayleigh scattering), occurs mostly during a collision. Correlated events dominate the scattering process. Expressions derived for the polarization of the fluorescent light are applied to far red wing depolarization. It is found that the polarization of the fluorescent light does not go to zero in the far wing, but depends crucially on the detailed nature of the anisotropy in the long-range part of the interatomic potential.

Thomann, P.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Collisional redistribution of radiation. I - The density matrix

As a first step in deriving accurate, calculable expressions for collisional redistribution of radiation, valid outside the impact regime a method for calculating an accurate binary-collision density operator for an atom in the presence of a driving field and perturbers is presented. Projection-operator techniques to establish first the precise validity of the Markoff approximation for radiative relaxation are used. Using the same techniques, it is shown how the collisional-relaxation problem may be analyzed in a practical manner outside the Markoff approximation. The effect of correlations between radiative and collisional events is included in a consistent way and the physical implications of these correlation effects are demonstrated for a simple example, the two-level atom with nondegenerate levels.

Burnett, K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Collisional redistribution of radiation. II - The effects of degeneracy on the equations of motion for the density matrix. III - The equation of motion for the correlation function and the scattered spectrum

The effect of correlations between an absorber atom and perturbers in the binary-collision approximation are applied to degenerate atomic systems. A generalized absorption profile which specifies the final state of the atom after an absorption event is related to the total intensities of Rayleigh scattering and fluorescence from the atom. It is suggested that additional dynamical information to that obtainable from ordinary absorption experiments is required in order to describe redistributed atomic radiation. The scattering of monochromatic radiation by a degenerate atom is computed in a binary-collision approximation; an equation of motion is derived for the correlation function which is valid outside the quantum-regression regime. Solutions are given for the weak-field conditions in terms of generalized absorption and emission profiles that depend on the indices of the atomic multipoles.

Burnett, K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Collisional redistribution of radiation. III - The equation of motion for the correlation function and the scattered spectrum

Computations were made of the scattering of monochromatic radiation by a degenerate atom in the binary-collision approximation for field strengths whose products of the Rabi frequency for atomic transition and the duration of a strong collision are much less than 1. An expression of motion for the correlation function is derived which does not exclude the region where thermal correlations may be neglected; the equation is valid outside the quantum-regression regime, and has a straightforward solution for practical cases. Solutions for the weak-field linear response regime are presented in terms of generalized absorption and emission profiles which depend on the indices of the atomic multipoles.

Burnett, K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Observation of dynamic correlations in collisional redistribution and depolarization of light

Theory shows that to explain the polarization of light collisionally redistributed from the far line wings of an atomic transition, one must consider correlated events in which absorption during a collision, and propagation to the final Zeeman-state superposition at the end of the collision is important. Polarizations of up to about 40% have been measured in the far line wings, substantially confirming this prediction, and showing that scattering experiments cannot just be characterized by simple absorption or emission profiles.

Thomann, P.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Zeeman degeneracy effects in collisional intense-field resonance fluorescence

Resonance fluorescence due to intense laser fields from a Zeeman degenerate atom being perturbed by collisional interactions is calculated in the impact regime by using the quantum-fluctuation-regression theorem. Various interesting effects are found. For example, the scattered intensity spectrum for a J = 0 to J = 1 transition for polarization parallel to the laser polarization is essentially an asymmetric triplet, whereas for a perpendicular polarization due to collisions the spectrum is essentially a doublet (whose frequencies do not correspond with any of those of the triplet). Further, the width of the fluorescent component (whose frequency is close to the unperturbed frequency) actually decreases with increasing laser power.

Cooper, J.↗