Electromagnetically Induced Transparency Molecular Atom Selectivity?

jaketodd

Can electromagnetically induced transparency, be effected on a single atom within a molecule?

Thanks,

Jake

jaketodd

In other words, can you have the electromagnetically induced transparency beams designed to interact with the energy levels of one of a molecule's atoms, and the resultant transparency allowing the beams to pass the molecule (dark state)?

Thanks,

Jake

Drakkith

Is this a real phenomenon or are you asking if it's possible to make a single atom/molecule transparent by hitting it with...something?
I'm guessing the latter, but I want to make sure you aren't referring to some phenomenon that I am unfamiliar with and trying to apply it to a single atom.

jaketodd

I'm just talking about electromagnetically induced transparency applied to an atom within a molecule.

Drakkith

Ah ok, I just looked it up and read the wiki article on it. Interesting effect.

Zarqon

A dark state is a superposition state, which means that you can create dark states between any energy levels that can maintain coherence, in particular these can be levels that belong to an atomic transition within a molecule yes.

soarce

In many experiments the gases used to demonstrate EIT are dilute gases, this means that their atoms (or molecules) behaves as individual quantum mechanical systems. Therefore the whole bussines of coherence applies to each atom individualy.

However there situations when you have long range interaction between atoms (e.g. Rydberg states) and one needs to consider additional effects.