Observation of quantum interference between dressed states in an electromagnetically induced transparency

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Abstract
We report on an experimental observation of quantum interference between two dressed states created by a coherent pumping laser in an electromagnetically induced transparency. In a Λ-type three-level atomic system in rubidium vapor, we reduce the Rabi frequency of the pumping laser in one arm down below the spontaneous decay rate of the common excited state and still observe a narrow dip with subnatural linewidth in the absorption curve of a probe beam in another arm. This clearly demonstrates that the absorption reduction at the low pumping intensity is mainly due to the interference between the two dressed states, not due to the ac–Stark-shift effect.