INFLUENCE OF DRIVING-FIELD PHASE FLUCTUATION ON ABSORPTION AND DISPERSION IN A SIMPLE THREE-LEVEL ATOMIC SYSTEM

The steady-state behavior of a simple three-level atomic system has been investi-gated by taking into account the effect of phase fluctuations in the driving field. For a monochromatic driving field, lasing with or without inversion can be established over a wide frequency range for the probe and driving fields. A large refractive index can also be generated even if the population inversion is positive. For a finite linewidth of the driving field, the refractive index enhancement tends to decrease. Furthermore, a behavior change from inversion laser to noninversion laser can occur as the driving field linewidth increases.