Two-state systems

What is the physical significance of A31? It is a measure of the spontaneous depopulation of state 3. Assuming, as usual, an exponential decay, the rate of change of population is

289

- ,1, : /trNt.
which
le'ads
t-

dNr

(12.12)

to a decay time constant, called spontaneous lifetime, by defining

I
r - ,.{tl

'spont

(12.r3)

We should, by now have quite a good picfure of what happens when light frequency u3t shines on the fwo-state system. [n the presence of an input of spontaneous decay is usually negligible, and although the probabilities light and downward transitions are exactly equal, there will be more of upward from E1 to E3 because there are many more atoms in the lower transitions rvords. In the result is a net other absorption ofphotons. This rve often see state. in nature. For example, many crystalline copper salts have trvo energv bands, separated by photon energy corresponding to yellou' light. Thus. when viewed in rvhite light, the yellon' part is absorbed. and the crystal transmits and reflects the complernentary colour. blue. Ruby (chromium ions in crystalline alumina) has an absorption band in the green by this mechanism. and hence looks red in rvhite light. \['hen light is absorbed. the population of the upper level is increased. Normall-v* this perturbation fion-r the equilibrium condition is small. But if we have an increasingly intense'pump'light source. the nun.rber in level 3 rvill go on increasing. by the same amount as those in level I decrease. Fairly obviously, there is a limit. rvhen the levels are equally populated. and the pump is infinitely strong. This is illustrated in Fig. 12.2. For the case of intense pumping, the nonequilibrium level populations (denoted by an asterisk) become almost equal:

/......-

Slope defining temperature Population

,/ remor,ed

NI-N]

Nr -l- Nr
2

(t2.t4)

N, N,
Fig.12.2

,N, log.N(E)

Now let us consider a three-level system, with the third level E2 befween E1 and 63, also shown in Fig. 12.2. The pumping will have no effect on its
population, which is the equilibrium value N2. So with the three-level system strongly pumped, the number of electrons in the three states are Ni, Nu, and Nj. Suppose that some photons come along with energy

hv32: E:
They

Ez.

(12.1s)

The three-level system. The strong 'pump'signal has equalized levels E1 and E3, so that E] now has a greater population than f2. The dotted line shows how population is changing rvith energy, as in Fig. 12.1, but now it has a positive slope.

will clearly interact with the system, causing stimulated emission by transitions from E3 to E2 and absorption by transitions from E2 to E3. But now \L'e have an unnatural occurrence: there are more electrons in the upper state ( E3 ) than in the lou'er ( Ez ) . So instead of there being a net absorption of photons ofenergy. ftu32, there will be anetemission. The three-level system will amplify a photon of frequency, u32, which is called the signal .frequencv.The whole thing is called a laser, which stands for light cmplification by stimulated emission of radiation. When there are more atoms in an upper than a lower level, as in the case of E-j and E2 inFig. 12.2, it is justifiable jargon to speak of an 'inverted population'.