Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
09:23
Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators
Published on: May 30, 2014
Open Quantum Systems Driven by Chirped Pulses: Quantized versus Semiclassical Fields and the Validity of the
Justin Zhengjie Tan1, Frank Großmann2, Yiying Yan1,3
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|June 18, 2026
Summary
Chirped rapid adiabatic passage enables robust population transfer, even with simplified models. This quantum control method is largely unaffected by system parameters like coupling strength or energy gap.
Area of Science:
- Quantum dynamics
- Laser-matter interactions
- Computational physics
Background:
- Population transfer is crucial for quantum control.
- Adiabatic passage methods are widely used.
- Approximations like the rotating-wave approximation simplify models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate population transfer using chirped rapid adiabatic passage.
- To assess the accuracy of semiclassical and quantum models.
- To evaluate the impact of the rotating-wave approximation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized open quantum and semiclassical models.
- Employed a time-dependent variational approach with a multiple-Davydov D2 trial state.
- Simulated quantum models with finite mean photon numbers.
Main Results:
- Identified robust population transfer across a broad parameter range.
- Demonstrated that laser spectral chirp is the primary control parameter.
- Showed insensitivity to spin-phonon coupling, pulse area, and energy gap.
Conclusions:
- Chirped rapid adiabatic passage offers a robust method for population transfer.
- The rotating-wave approximation and semiclassical models provide accurate descriptions.
- Laser spectral chirp is a key factor for efficient quantum control.
Related Concept Videos
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra. Schrödinger...
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
01:02¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals
Spin systems where the difference in chemical shifts of the coupled nuclei is greater than ten times J are called first-order spin systems. These nuclei are weakly coupled, and their chemical shifts and coupling constant can generally be estimated from the well-separated signals in the spectrum.
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are slanted or...
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are slanted or...
02:18The Bohr Model
Following the work of Ernest Rutherford and his colleagues in the early twentieth century, the picture of atoms consisting of tiny dense nuclei surrounded by lighter and even tinier electrons continually moving about the nucleus was well established. This picture was called the planetary model since it pictured the atom as a miniature “solar system” with the electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets orbiting the sun. The simplest atom is hydrogen, consisting of a single proton as the nucleus...
01:18Electron Orbital Model
Orbitals are the areas outside of the atomic nucleus where electrons are most likely to reside. They are characterized by different energy levels, shapes, and three-dimensional orientations. The location of electrons is described most generally by a shell or principal energy level, then by a subshell within each shell, and finally, by individual orbitals found within the subshells.The first shell is closest to the nucleus, and it has only one subshell with a single spherical orbital called the...
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.