Abstract

Recently, Narducci et al.¹ studied V-configuration three-level atoms and predicted that quantum fluctuations associated with a "strong" optical transition driven by a coherent field can be stabilized through excitation of a coupled "weak" transition. This stabilization is manifest in a narrowing, to subnatural values, of the fluorescence linewidths associated with the strong transition as the weak transition is driven more and more strongly. We have experimentally investigated this problem and provide the first demonstration of the effect. In the experiment, a beam of Ba atoms was intercepted by two copropagating cw laser beams. One of the beams, of Rabi frequency Ω₁, was tuned into resonance with the strong, 553.5 nm, ¹S₀→³P₁ transition, while the other beam, of Rabi frequency Ω₂, was tuned into resonance with the weak, 791.1 nm, ¹S₀→³P₁ transition. The fluorescence spectrum of the strong transition was recorded for the case when Ω₁≈35 MHz and Q₂≈45 MHz and, it was found that the spectrum was three-peaked. Most interestingly, the measured linewidth (FWHM) for the central peak was 16 MHz, or 2 MHz less than the 18 MHz natural width of the strong transition even before the substantial instrumental broadening (≈8 MHz) of the peak was deconvolved.

© 1990 Optical Society of America