Semiclassical optics is the study of the interaction of light and matter using a model that is half classical and half quantum mechanical. (Hence the name, “semiclassical.”) The light (for example, a laser beam) is modeled as a classical wave, but the atom or molecule is modeled as a system having quantum mechanical energy levels.
The well-known Ramsey method uses two consecutive pulses to make more precise measurements than a single-pulse measurement of comparable duration. Recently, some of us at Drew have been interested in understanding (in a clear and fundamental way) the linewidth of Ramsey fringes in both two-level and three-level quantum systems. The response of the system shown at the right is analyzed in “Quantum interference in a lambda system driven by non-overlapping pulses with the same carrier frequency” James M. Supplee Journal of the Optical Society of America B 27, #8, 1543-1550 (August 2010).
Courses
Drew courses related to the topic described above include Optics and Quantum Mechanics.