acta physica slovaca

Acta Physica Slovaca 63, No.6, 361 – 481 (2013) (121 pages)

PRE-HISTORY OF THE CONCEPTS UNDERLYING STIMULATED RAMAN ADIABATIC PASSAGE (STIRAP)

Bruce W. Shore
    618 Escondido Circle, Livermore, CA 94550, USA

Full text: ::pdf :: Received 24 August 2014, accepted 26 September 2014, in final form 15 October 2014

Abstract: This tutorial review discusses some of the work that preceded development, twenty-five years ago, of the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique, now widely used in the controlled coherent dynamics of three-state systems, noting how the use of time-dependent adiabatically-evolving population-trapping dark states made possible the robust and highly-efficient population transfer between quantum states that first popularized STIRAP. Preceding the history discussion is a tutorial definition of STIRAP and its necessary and sufficient ingredients — understanding that has led to applications well beyond those of the original quantum systems. This review also discusses the relationship between STIRAP and two related procedures: chirped Raman adiabatic passage (RCAP or CHIRAP) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with slow and captured light. It concludes with a brief discussion of ways in which contemporary STIRAP has extended the original concept and enlarged the definition, beyond that of simple quantum systems to classical macroscopic devices. Appendices offer further details. The presentation emphasizes theory but with illustrations of experimental results.

DOI: 10.2478/apsrt-2013-0006

PACS: 31.70.Hq, 33.80.-b, 34.80.Pa, 34.80.Dp, 34.80.Gs, 42.50.Gy, 42.65.Dr
Keywords: Stimulated-Raman Adiabatic-Passage, STIRAP, Coherent Excitation, Physics History
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