Population transfer and coherence in the adiabatic limit by counterintuitive and intuitive pulse sequences

Two approaches of achieving population transfer and coherence are investigated for the three-level Λ system in the adiabatic limit. The effects of the laser pulse sequence on the population transfer efficiency and coherence are studied. Coherent control of quantum state and population is studied by numerical simulation based on self-consistent set of density matrix equations. It can be seen that the counterintuitive pulse sequence is more efficient in population transfer and coherence than the intuitive one.