Abstract

In atomic vapors, the variation of the phase-conjugate reflectivity versus frequency has been a subject of interest these recent years. At low incident intensity for the pump and probe waves, a Lorentzian curve centered at the atomic resonance frequency is observed. At high pump intensity a splitting is observed, and the phase-conjugate reflectivity tends toward zero at the atomic resonance frequency.¹ A correct treatment for this complex situation has been derived recently by Bloch and Ducloy.² However, their theory leads to intricate calculations for which it is difficult to find physical interpretations. A great simplification is obtained by using the dressed-atom approach. The calculations are easier to derive and lead to clear physical interpretations. New results are predicted, some of them have already been observed experimentally.

© 1984 Optical Society of America