Generalized rabi oscillations in a three-level metastable system under periodic and quasiperiodic perturbations

Abstract

The quantum dynamics of prototypical three-level metastable system under external perturbations, both time-independent and time-dependent, are studied numerically as well as analytically. The regular Rabi oscillations generated in the system under a monochromatic perturbation are shown to develop additional features when the system has a metastable state. The autocorrelation function of ψ(t) reveals nondecaying, almost quasiperiodic, behavior in such systems. The Rabi oscillations turn more complex when a bichromatic perturbation with two incommensurate frequencies is allowed to interact with the three-level system, irrespective of the presence or absence of a metastable state. A rapid decay in the autocorrelation function of the wavefunction [ψ(t)] is observed in such cases.