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Abstract

The controlled transfer of nuclear state population using two x-ray laser
pulses is investigated theoretically. The laser pulses drive two nuclear
transitions in a nuclear three-level system facilitating coherent population
transfer via the quantum optics technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic
passage. To overcome present limitations of the x-ray laser frequency, we
envisage accelerated nuclei interacting with two copropagating or crossed x-ray
laser pulses in a three-beam setup. We present a systematic study of this setup
providing both pulse temporal sequence and laser pulse intensity for optimized
control of the nuclear state population. The tolerance for geometrical
parameters such as laser beam divergence of the three-beam setup as well as for
the velocity spread of the nuclear beam are studied and a two-photon resonance
condition to account for experimental uncertainties is deduced. This additional
condition gives a less strict requirement for the experimental implementation
of the three-beam setup. Present experimental state of the art and future
prospects are discussed.