Abstract

Owing to the essential simplicity of the two- level atom, its spectral and dynamical features provide truly fundamental insight into the light- matter interaction. Two-level atoms driven by a single strong field have been studied and found to display a three-peaked symmetric emission spectrum (the Mollow spectrum [1]) whose splitting is equal to the excitation-field Rabi frequency. Analysis of this spectrum has played an important role in the development of quantum optics. We have experimentally studied the spectra generated through application of a secondary excitation field to the system, and find a variety of interesting new features.

© 1996 Optical Society of America