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A. Marjatta Lyyra

Professor of Physics

Ph.D., University of Stockholm

SERC, Room 452
1925 N. 12th Street 
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-3776
lyyra@temple.edu
Research Group Page


Research Interests

Using high resolution multiple resonance excitation of molecular systems [1] we have expanded Quantum Optics from closed atomic systems to open molecular systems despite much weaker oscillator strengths and complex relaxation pathways.  Molecular systems are open in the sense that excited states have a variety of relaxation options.  The richness of molecular excitation pathways and the number of molecular interactions have made it possible to develop novel applications in this field [2] with the Autler-Townes effect as a tool.  We have demonstrated control of molecular angular momentum alignment [3], Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) [4, 5], and control of molecular quantum state spin multiplicity character [6].  We have also shown that EIT can be used to map the absolute magnitude and the internuclear distance dependence of the electronic transition dipole moment function [7].

The electric field amplitude of the control laser can be used as a “tuning” mechanism for the singlet-triplet mixing coefficients of energy levels that are weakly perturbed by the spin-orbit interaction.  Such perturbed gateway levels provide access from the singlet manifold of electronic states to the dark triplet states that cannot be reached from a singlet ground state.  This Autler-Townes effect based tuning mechanism not only controls the spin multiplicity (e.g. singlet and triplet)  character of the perturbed  pair of levels, but we have demonstrated that it can be used to control the population flow through such a gateway [8] from the singlet states to the electric dipole forbidden dark triplet states.

Our research is supported by the NSF Experimental Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Division.

Key Publications

1. A. M. Lyyra, H. Wang, T.-J. Whang, L. Li and W. C. Stwalley, "CW All-Optical Triple Resonance (AOTR) Spectroscopy", Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2724-2727 (1991).

2. A. Marjatta Lyyra, Ergin H. Ahmed, Jianbing Qi, John Huennekens, and Teodora Kirova,” Quantum Interference Effects with Applications in Molecular Systems by Autler-Townes Spectroscopy of Diatomic Molecules” Advances in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Eds. Paul Berman, Ennio Arimondo, and Chun Lin, Vol. 61, (2012), pp. 467-514 (Academic Press).

3. J. Qi, G. Lazarov, X. Wang, L. Li, L. Narducci, A. M. Lyyra, and F. C. Spano,” Autler-Townes Splitting in Molecular Lithium: Prospects for All-Optical Alignment of Nonpolar Molecules", Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 288-291 (1999). 

4. A. Lazoudis, T. Kirova, E. H. Ahmed, L. Li, and A. M. Lyyra, “Electromagnetically induced  transparency in an open Λ- type molecular lithium system”, Phys. Rev. A 82, 023812, (2010). 

5. A. Lazoudis, T. Kirova, E. H. Ahmed, P. Qi, J. Huennekens, and A. M. Lyyra, “Electromagnetically induced transparency in an open V- type molecular system”, Phys. Rev. A, 83, 063419 (2011).

6. E. H. Ahmed, S. Ingram, T. V. Kirova, O. Salihoglu, J. Huennekens, and A. M. Lyyra, “Quantum Control of the Spin-Orbit Interaction using the Autler-Townes Effect”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 163601 (2011). 

7. J. Qi, F. C. Spano, L. Li, J. Magnes, T. Kirova, A. Lazoudis, L. M. Narducci, R. W. Field, and A. M. Lyyra“, Determination of Molecular Transition Dipole Moment by Electromagnetically Induced Transparency,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 173003-1 to 173003-4, (2002). 

8. E. H. Ahmed, Peng Qi, B. Beser, J. Bai, R. W. Field, J. P. Huennekens and A. M. Lyyra, “Experimental Mapping of the Absolute Magnitude of the Transition Dipole Moment Function, μe(R), of the Na2 A1Σu+ → X1Σg+”, Phys. Rev. A 77, 053414, (2008)

9. E. H. Ahmed, X. Pan, J. Huennekens, and A. M. Lyyra, “Optical Control of Population Flow between Molecular Electronic States of Different Spin Multiplicity”, Phys. Rev. A, Rapid Communications 89, 161401, (2014).

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS


Department of Physics (035-08)
Temple University
1925 N. 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801

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