Laser-induced population trapping and higher-order Zeeman coherences in the neon 2p5to 1s5(J = 1 to J = 2) transition

Abstract
Laser-induced Zeeman coherences and non-linear processes in the neon 2p5(J = 1) to 1s5(J = 2) transition have been studied experimentally and theoretically. By varying the observation geometry and choice of polarisation, the fluorescence observed in the 2p5 to 1s3 (J = 0) transition becomes sensitive to different processes within the atom. A detailed theoretical treatment enables profiles to be matched to the experiment using an appropriate choice of parameters. Moreover, analysis of the equations of motion for the system allows the origins of the various features of the fluorescence profiles to be precisely identified in terms of the generation of higher-order Zeeman coherences in the 1s5 level and coherent trapping of part of the atomic population there. The population trapping can be interpreted and analysed, for a particular choice of geometry, in terms of simpler subsystems of the full transition.