Atomic transitions driven by light pulses

This simulation shows an ensemble of atoms stimulated by a laser-light pulse represented by a Gaussian function. The dynamics of the atomic transitions are simulated by solving the Liouville–von Neumann equation for a two-level system.

The numerical solution (fourth-order Runge–Kutta) of the Liouville–von Neumann equation for the two-level system's density matrix captures effects that a simple perturbative solution cannot describe, such as Rabi oscillations in the level populations as the pulse intensity and duration vary.

Marco P. M. de Souza