Population Inversion Induced by Collisions in a Two Level System under Nonresonance Optical Excitation

Abstract

When the gas particles, which can be considered as a two level quantum system, are affected by frequent collisions with buffer gas particles (thermal reservoir), the spectral densities of the Einstein coefficients for absorption and induced emission are unequal to each other far from the absorption (emission) line. The relationship between the spectral densities at the specified condition reveals new physical phenomena. The mostly convincing example is the fact that population inversion is established in a two level system under nonresonance optical excitation. This effect is experimentally observed as a lasing on sodium resonance transitions.